A Mother's Love ::completed!::
by H. Gibson
Summary: Everything Lucas knows about his life is turned upside down when a mysterious young woman named Ellie appears on board the SeaQuest.
1. Part 1, Chapter 1: Ellie

_First, I'd like to give a big thank you to K. Presson for lending me the character of Samantha for my first outing here. Now, on with the show…_

Lucas slid the headphones on and leaned back against the coolness of Darwin's tube. Closing his eyes, he sighed deeply, finally starting to relax after a long day of working on a translation problem that had developed between some of the ship's computer systems, and then putting in some time on the vocorder. He enjoyed keeping busy as much as anyone, but today had been beyond busy and he was ready for some well deserved rest.

In an attempt to silence the thoughts in his head, he'd decided to load a mini disk containing some classical music; Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, into his player. The neat order of the music soothed his brain; it was mathematical and concise, and gave his mind something else to fixate on.

He was just about to press play when he heard Commander Ford's voice over the ship's com. "Lucas to the bridge, stat!"

Groaning, he pulled the headphones off and tossed them aside in frustration. Running his fingers through his hair, he then rubbed his face roughly and stood up. Was he ever going to get a break today?

He stepped out into the hallway and headed for the bridge, wondering what was wrong this time. He could have sworn that he'd alleviated all of the problems earlier in the day, and the fact that he apparently hadn't seriously annoyed him. Paging him to the bridge "stat" was never a good sign, and he anticipated getting reamed by both Captain Bridger and Commander Ford for telling them that the systems were fixed when they weren't.

He walked onto the bridge and looked around, trying to find Ford, but Ford found him first.

"Lucas! I thought you said this stuff was fixed!?"

Lucas cringed. "It was! The diagnostics all came back fine! What are you doing to it to mess it up?"

Ford gave him an icy glare and Lucas instantly regretted letting the words leave his mouth. "Obviously it isn't fixed because we're still having problems with it. If you don't mind," he said, gesturing to the terminals.

Lucas sighed and walked over to where he'd left his tools earlier. He'd learned to leave them in the last trouble spot he'd worked on, just in case, like now for instance, he had to come back and work on it again. As he bent down to pick up his drill, the lights and systems on the bridge flickered, and then went out.

"What in the hell just happened?" The voice of the Captain cut through the darkness. "Lucas!! What did you do?"

"It wasn't me! I just went to pick up a drill, I haven't even touched anything yet!" he yelled, trying to be heard of the series of beeps that let them know that the bridge's systems, although currently not functional, were being kept from complete shutdown by generators.

"Well, fix it! NOW!" The Captain yelled back. As soon as the words reached Lucas, the lights and systems all sprung back to life. Lucas let out a deep breath of relief, and looked around as the computer screens all came back on. But he noticed that no one else was looking at their screens. They were all staring at the middle of the bridge.

Lucas turned around to see what everyone else was looking at, and when his eyes rested on it, his jaw dropped open. There, in the middle of the bridge, stood a young woman he didn't recognize, and he took it that no one else recognized her either. She was wearing what would be considered "retro" clothing; blue jeans, black boots, and a black, long sleeved shirt; only retro because of their cut and style. Where had she come from?

"Excuse me, but who are you and where did you come from," Captain Bridger said, walking towards her.

She turned around quickly, her face a mixture of shock and confusion. "I…I don't know where I am or who you are?"

"You're on the SeaQuest, a UEO ship. I'm the ship's Captain. Now it's your turn."

She frowned. "SeaQuest? UEO? What are those?"

"Before I answer any more of your questions, why don't you answer mine? Who are you and where did you come from?"

She looked truly frightened. "My…my name is Ellie. I'm from Los Angeles. I was asleep…is this a dream?"

"Interesting, but the truth would be helpful. How did you get on board and past security?" Bridger said, seemingly irritated.

"What are you talking about? I'm telling the truth! I don't know what is going on, but this must be a nightmare and I want to go home now."

Bridger raised an eyebrow. Who was this girl? "How old are you Ellie?"

"I'm 23…"

"And what year is this?"

"June, 2002. Why are you asking me these weird questions? What year do YOU think it is?" she asked, pointedly. Normally, Lucas would have started laughing at such a response, but the year…2002?

"It's 2018 actually," Bridger replied.

Ellie started to laugh. "Yeah, ok. Whatever you say. Show me the way out so I can go home please." She started to walk toward the only set of doors she saw, the ones leading out from the bridge into the rest of the ship. She didn't get far.

"Hold on a minute young lady," Bridger said, stepping in front of her. "I think you have some explaining to do about why you're really here."

She stared at him, frowning in confusion. "I don't understand. Who do you think I am? I honestly don't know what is going on. One minute I'm sleeping, and the next minute, I'm here. Maybe you can tell me what you're doing in my dream."

"Ford, take her to the brig," Bridger said. Ford, standing near Lucas, nodded to the Captain and started toward Ellie. Her gaze followed the Captain's, and fell on Lucas.

She gasped slightly, and her eyes widened, immediately welling up with tears. "Gavin?" she whispered, starting toward Lucas.

Lucas just stared at her, not sure how to respond. Ford moved quickly and intercepted her, grabbing her arm. "Hold on now, where do you think you're going?"

But she didn't hear him; she was completely focused on Lucas, her tears coming faster. "Gavin…you're here too…why are you here? I miss you so much!" she cried out, straining against Ford and reaching out to Lucas, who just looked at her blankly. "Why don't you say something? Please, Gavin you have to help me! I don't know what to do! Lawrence has left on some project, I'm all alone and I'm scared…Gavin, please!!"

Lucas was completely taken in by her, though he couldn't explain why. Her hair, hanging just past her shoulder blades, was pulled back at the top, leaving her pretty face exposed. Her eyes were a piercing teal color, the color of the ocean. Even filled with tears they had a hypnotic quality. Lucas stepped toward her, reaching out his hand and grasping the one she'd been holding out to him. At his touch, she began to sob violently and her grasp on his hand turned vice-like. It was evident that she wanted to speak, but her sobs caught the words in her throat. Even if he could have let go of her hand, Lucas didn't think he would have. He'd never seen such a display of emotional pain and he was dumbstruck.

Bridger finally spoke. "His name is Lucas, not Gavin. I think you're a bit confused. Ford," he said, nodding to Ford, indicating that he should take her to the brig now.

Ellie shook her head. "No…you don't know what you're talking about! His name is Gavin, he's my friend!"

Bridger pressed a button on the com. "Dr. Westphalen to the bridge, stat!" Turning to Ford he said, "Hold on to her, don't let go of her. Something is very wrong here."

Lucas felt a lump rise in his throat as he looked into her eyes and saw all the hurt there. For the moment, no one else existed in this room except for her. "Don't let go, please," she whispered to him. He responded by taking her small hand in both of his.

He didn't even notice that Dr. Westphalen had arrived on the bridge until he felt Ellie being yanked away from him, snapping him out of whatever trance he'd been in. She screamed desperately as Ford dragged her away from him and over to the doctor, who administered a dose of sedative. Almost immediately she slumped down in Ford's arms, allowing him to scoop her up. Holding her in his arms, he nodded to the Captain and headed out to deposit Ellie in the brig.

All of the emotion swirling around him took its toll, and a tear slid down his cheek as he watched Ford take her away. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, as if she could still hear him.

"Lucas, you ok?" Bridger asked.

Lucas nodded numbly, looking at the Captain and the Doctor, and then around at the rest of the crew on the bridge, who stood silently, looking stunned. He noticed that even his friend, Samantha Kinkade was on the bridge now; she must have come with Dr. Westphalen.

Samantha, noticing something was wrong with him, walked toward him and frowned when she saw him wipe a tear away and shake his head. "Lucas, what was all that about?"

"I don't know," he replied. "She thought I was someone else."

"Who is she? How did she get here?"

Lucas shrugged and shook his head. "No clue."

"When she wakes up a little, we'll try to find out," Kristen responded.

Lucas couldn't think. He kept hearing her desperate plea for help and her frantic scream as she was pulled away from him. He couldn't breathe. "I have to go," he choked out. Before anyone could say anything, he fled the bridge for the safety of his quarters.


	2. Chapter 2

Lucas slammed the door to his quarters shut and sat down on his bunk, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. He buried his face in his hands, feeling completely overwhelmed. It was as if some of Ellie's emotion had rubbed off on him, and before he could even check himself, he was sobbing, though not as desperately as she had been.

After a few moments, he was able to calm himself with a few deep breaths. What was going on here? Who was Ellie and where had she come from? He knew that they would get to the bottom of her sudden appearance on the bridge, but something about her troubled Lucas greatly. Plus, she had mentioned the name Lawrence, a name Lucas had never associated with good things. He sighed heavily, he was so drained but he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. He could only think of Ellie.

He heard a knock on his door, and he stood, not even bothering to check in the mirror to see if anyone could tell that he'd been crying. Opening it, he saw Samantha standing there.

"Hey Sam," he said wearily.

"Lucas," she said, concern evident in her voice. "Are you alright?"

He knew he couldn't hide it from her, not after all they'd been through together. "No," he replied. "Come in."

Samantha stepped inside as he shut the door. She looked at him and could tell he'd been crying. She could only hope he'd tell her what was bothering him. He walked silently past her and sat down on his bunk again. She sat down next to him and waited. She didn't have to wait long.

"Sam, I…..Ellie…" he choked out.

"Do you know her?" she asked.

"No I don't. I was called back to the bridge, and then the bridge went dark. When the lights and systems came back on, she was just standing there."

"But how? She can't just appear out of thin air."

"Well, she must have, because there was no way for her to get on board Sam. If anything had docked with us or even been within 100 feet the sensors would have gone crazy."

"Good point. Why was she so upset?"

"She thought I was someone else, someone named Gavin. She's confused; she doesn't know where she is. She didn't even know what the SeaQuest was or what UEO meant. Plus, she thinks it's 2002."

"Really? That's odd; I wonder if she has amnesia?"

Lucas shrugged. It was all he could do because he didn't have an answer.

"Why did her appearance and mistaken identity upset you so much though?"

"Sam, if you could have seen what I saw, it would have bothered you too."

"What did you see?"

"Her eyes Sam, the pain in them. I've never seen anything like that before. When I was holding her hand, she pleaded with me not to let go. She really believed I was someone else, and she must have cared very deeply for him," Lucas said, feeling the lump rise in his throat again.

Samantha was silent; she didn't know what to say. She'd never seen Lucas this affected by someone and as well as she knew him she still wasn't sure how to react.

"Is she in the brig?" he asked quietly.

"No, Kristen talked the Captain into having her placed in restraints in the MedBay."

Lucas looked up at her. "I think I am going to go down and see if she is okay."

"Do you think that's wise Lucas? You look exhausted."

"I am exhausted, but I'll never sleep tonight if I don't see her and know that she is okay. I can't explain it, but I feel like I have to check on her."

Samantha nodded and followed him out the door.

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Lucas walked into MedBay feeling anxious and tense. It wasn't hard to find Ellie; she was surrounded by medical staff. True to Samantha's description, restraints had been placed on her wrists and ankles. He shuddered as he realized that it reminded him of a scene from a movie he'd once seen, where they'd had to restrain a mental patient this way. She was sleeping peacefully now and looked like a beautiful doll, no hint of the pain that he'd seen from her earlier.

Kristen noticed him first. "Lucas, what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to check on her. Is she okay?"

Kristen looked at him for a moment. "She's fine, we're examining her now."

"And?" he asked.

"Lucas, if the Captain wants you to know he'll tell you about it."

Lucas didn't even have the energy to argue with her. "Can I sit with her? Please?"

Kristen gave him a strange look. She didn't understand his interest. "Why?"

Lucas didn't even look at her. His eyes remained on the sleeping form of Ellie. "I just feel concerned, that's all," he said flatly.

Kristen didn't see how it could hurt, and she motioned to him to go ahead. Lucas walked over to the chair next to Ellie's bed and sat down. He stared at the small hand and the fragile looking wrist encased in the restraint. So lifeless now, that hand which had so urgently clung to his less than an hour ago. He slowly reached out and took her hand again, leaning back in the chair and watching as the medical staff examined her and performed their various tests. She was pale, she looked dead and it filled Lucas with an awful sense of foreboding.

He looked away for a moment and locked eyes with Samantha across the room. She nodded to him silently, and then turned to walk away. She greeted the Captain as he entered the room and went on her way.

"What have you found out Doctor?" the Captain asked.

Kristen looked to Lucas and the Captain followed her look. Lucas was completely lost in his own thoughts, his eyes closed, and Ellie's hand firmly in his. The Captain nodded at her to go ahead.

"We've examined her and have found no traces of hidden explosives or other things that could be used against us. She has no identifying marks, her finger prints aren't even on record," she began.

"How are they not on record? Everyone's are on record, they finger print every child born for the global database."

"I don't know Captain, but they aren't there. There is no record of this girl anywhere. She has viable prints so it isn't like they've been deliberately obscured. We did find traces of chemicals on her though, that lend credence to her telling you what year she believed it was. She was telling you the truth; the chemical traces we found on her can't be found anymore. Either she is really from the past, or she's very clever. It would also explain her lack of inclusion in the database."

"But if she is from the past, she'd still be alive now and in the database, so how do you explain that."

"I can't. All I can say is that your theory is correct. _If_ she was still alive when the database went into effect. If she wasn't, well…"

"So you're saying that we could quite possibly be dealing with a ghost?"

"No, what I'm saying is that her time in 2002 is short. She may not have made it to 2003. But there is more."

"More?" the Captain asked, incredulous. This wasn't enough?

"Yes, more. She's pregnant, I'd say about 3 months."

"Good God. We need to find out what is going on here. Bring her out of sedation Doctor."

Kristen nodded and went to get the drugs that would act against the sedative currently keeping Ellie asleep. Nathan sighed and looked once again to where Lucas sat, holding the hand of Ellie. He needed to get to the bottom of this, and he needed to do it quickly.


	3. Chapter 3

Ellie could hear the people around her before she could see them. Whatever they had given to her was wearing off now, or perhaps she was waking up from that horrible nightmare. She willed herself to open her eyes and they obeyed her by fluttering slightly and then opening fully. She winced at the brightness of the lights and tried to move a hand to block her eyes but found that she couldn't move them, that something was holding her down. She made a panicked sound and tried to fight the urge to scream.

At the sound, Lucas was up like a shot. "Hey, shhhh, its ok, don't be afraid," he said to her, softly.

Ellie turned her head in his direction. "Gavin," she whispered. "Where are we? What is this place and why can't I go home? Are you stuck here with these people?"

"Ellie, my name isn't Gavin. My name is Lucas. See?" he said, showing her his badge. "You're in the year 2018 and on the SeaQuest, a ship kind of like sub but better. I live and work here."

She gave him a confused look. "Gav, c'mon stop playing around."

"Ellie, I'm not him."

She frowned and looked away. When she looked back, her face was set and serious. "What did I do once, on Highway 1, that nearly scared you to death?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lucas replied, shaking his head.

"Oh my God, you're really not him. I'm so sorry! I….you…." she said, tears filling her eyes again.

Lucas felt pained that he couldn't help her, couldn't be who she so desperately wanted him to be. He gently wiped a tear away. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"He would have done something just like that," she whispered to Lucas. "I'm really sorry, I must seem crazy to you now. What is your name again?"

"Lucas," he replied. "And you don't seem crazy, just confused."

"How did I get here?"

"I really have no idea."

She seemed okay with that answer for the moment. "Lucas, I want to explain. You see, you look like my friend Gavin, he…" she began, but was interrupted by the Doctor.

"I see you're awake and have met Lucas. He's been with you this whole time." Kristen said with a smile.

"Have you?" she asked, looking to Lucas.

Embarrassed, he looked away but nodded his agreement.

"Ellie, the Captain would like to see you in his quarters. Your clothes are folded here at the bottom of the bed. We'll undo the restraints and you can change."

"Okay, thank you," she replied quietly.

Lucas released her hand and watched as Kristen unlocked the restraints. He stepped out of the way as Kristen closed the curtain so that Ellie could change back into her own clothes. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"I guess I'll go try and get some sleep," Lucas said.

"Not so fast Lucas. The Captain wants to see you too."

"Why? I didn't do anything?"

"He didn't say, just that he wanted us in his quarters when she came to."

"Okay," Lucas said his exhaustion apparent.

After a few more minutes, Ellie emerged dressed and ready to go. She asked Kristen for a brush, which was provided, and then they were on their way. Kristen led the way, with Ellie in the middle and Lucas following behind. As they stepped out into the corridor, Ellie looked around her in amazement. They wound along the deck, their shoes making clicking sounds as they walked along the metallic grating. Ellie turned around and shot a worried, confused look at Lucas. He smiled at her in an attempt at reassurance. When she returned the smile, his breath caught. For the first time since her arrival he'd seen her smile, and she was breathtaking.

They reached the Captain's quarters and Kristen knocked on the door. She received permission to enter, and held the door for Ellie and Lucas. As the door shut silently behind them, Ellie stepped farther into the room and looked around her. Lucas tried to see it as someone who would be seeing this all for the first time. It dawned on him that if she was telling the truth about thinking it was 2002, then 75 percent of the technology on this ship would be completely foreign to her, the UEO wouldn't even exist for her yet, and a ship of this magnitude would still be absolutely unheard of in her time.

Bridger gave the girl a moment to look around before speaking. "Welcome to my quarters. Please," he said, motioning to the table and chairs, "sit down."

Ellie nodded. "Thank you," she said politely as she took a seat.

Once they were all seated, Bridger studied her for a long moment before speaking. "We've conducted tests and know that you're telling the truth about 2002," he began. She nodded and waited for him to go on.

"But," he continued, "I hope it is clear to you that you're not there now."

"Abundantly clear, sir," she replied.

Lucas raised an eyebrow, not sure if he'd caught a hint of sarcasm from her or not. Then the impact of what Bridger had just said hit him. She really was from 2002, she wasn't confused at all, she was telling her version of what she knew.

"And Lucas here," Bridger started.

"Isn't Gavin, I know, we cleared that up already. I apologize for that, really I do."

"Tell us more about Gavin so we can understand what's going on here."

She raised her gaze to meet Bridger's evenly. "Gavin? Gavin is dead," she replied coldly.

"Yes, but what happened to him and why did you mistake Lucas for him?"

She looked down again, trying to gather her thoughts together. She looked up again, her eyes clear. "Gavin was my best friend. We'd been friends for years; he'd always been there for me. He wasn't happy when I got married, because my new husband doesn't approve of my doing the things I'd done before. I've broken with that a few times, but not many. I still talked to Gavin, despite what Lawrence said. One night, about 3 months ago, Lawrence and I had a fight, and I left and went to Gavin's house. We talked and he helped me calm down, then I went home. The next day, I found out that Gavin had been killed in a car accident," she explained, the last words barely audible.

"And how is he tied to Lucas?"

"Lucas looks exactly like him," she said, looking at Lucas now. "When I saw him, I thought I must be having a dream and that Gavin was there to help me. But this is no dream."

"You said you were scared. May I ask of what?"

"No." she said firmly.

"Fair enough," Bridger replied. "Can you tell us more about yourself?"

"Okay," she began, but before she could go on, the lights flickered, just as they had on the bridge.

Lucas looked around him, and it was then that he saw the figure standing in the corner of the room. "Uh…Captain…" he started.

"What is it Lucas?" Bridger said, pre-occupied with the flickering lights.

"There is someone here," he replied.

"What?" Bridger asked, confused, as the lights went back to normal.

"There is someone here," Lucas repeated, as strains of music began to fill the room. It was a slow, sad song, and Lucas looked to Ellie as she gasped and stood up. Everyone except for Lucas followed her gaze, and saw a young man standing there.

"Oh my god," breathed Kristen.

Bridger couldn't speak as he stared at the young man. It was like looking at Lucas 6 years in the future. Finally, Lucas turned his head, and jumped as he saw his older counterpart.

"Hello Ellie," the young man said above the music.

She didn't speak, but only walked around the table and threw herself into the arms of the young man. Bridger had half expected her to go right through, but the young man was as solidly realized as he himself was.

"You must be Gavin," Bridger said, finally able to speak.

Gavin nodded slightly, still holding Ellie close to him. "I brought her here."

Ellie pulled away from him. "Why? Why did you bring me here?"

"To help you Ellie. So that you know what will happen to him."

"Happen? To him? Him who?" she asked, confused.

"To our son," Gavin said.

"I don't understand," Ellie said.

The music stopped. "I don't need that anymore, just my way of proving to you that I'm me. Ellie, you know how much I loved you. I should have stopped you from marrying him, and I'm so sorry that I didn't. Ellie, he knows, Lawrence knows. My accident wasn't an accident. He knows what we did that night."

Ellie gasped and backed away. "Oh God…Gavin," she said softly.

"I had to tell you, warn you. He knows. I wanted you to see what happens to him, to our son. I wanted you to know he would be okay."

"Why won't I be around to see it Gavin?" she asked, a bit frantic.

"I don't know, maybe Lawrence will take him away."

Ellie put her hands protectively over her mid-section. "No! I won't let him, I'd kill him first," she said fiercely. Then her face softened. "Who is he? Which one?"

"The one who has been with you all of this time," he replied. "Lucas."


	4. Chapter 4

Time felt as if it had stopped for Lucas. His chest felt tight, he couldn't breathe. He stared hard at Gavin and Ellie, trying to make sense of what had just been said. He shook his head and stood up.

"No! No way! I have a mom, her name is Cynthia!" he shouted.

Ellie, looking as confused as he did, looked to Gavin. Bridger and Westphalen sat in stunned silence.

"No, Lucas. Ellie is your mother. Cynthia is the only mother you've known because that's the way your 'father' wanted it," he explained. Looking to Westphalen he said, "Do a DNA test, it will prove that what I'm saying is true."

"Ellie," Lucas said, "What is your last name?"

"Well, it used to be James, but my married name is Wolenczak," she said simply.

Lucas backed away, putting his hands to his head. "No…this is _not_ happening."

"I'm sorry Lucas," Gavin said. "I wish it didn't have to be this way, but there is no other way to do this. Ellie is your mother, and I am your father."

Lucas stared icily at Gavin. "No you aren't. I know who my father is! And she is _not _my mother!"

"Kristen, why don't you go back to the MedBay and get two of the instant DNA tests. We'll settle this now." Bridger said, finding his voice again.

Kristen nodded and practically ran from the room. Lucas paced, he didn't want to hear this. Ellie stepped toward him, putting a hand on his arm. Lucas stopped, looking at her carefully, looking for any resemblance. She reached out and put a hand to his cheek and smiled at him.

"Lucas, it will be okay. No matter what happens," she said, her hand remaining on his face.

Lucas couldn't find it within himself to even nod, so shocked was he by her small physical gesture. He'd never been a physical person, and no one had ever really touched him this way, he normally wouldn't have let them. But he couldn't, and wouldn't stop her. It was too comforting, too soothing.

"Hey Lucas," Gavin said.

Lucas looked up at him. "What?"

"What she did, that time on Highway 1, to scare me to death, was to pull over at one of the really high bridges that span the ocean, pull bungee equipment out of the trunk of the car, hook herself up, and jump." Gavin said with a smirk.

Ellie, still standing in front of Lucas, started laughing. "It's true, I did. He's scared of heights you know."

Lucas just stared at her. "No way! You did that?"

She nodded, still smiling. "Yep."

"Okay, that's cool. Mean, but cool."

"You're telling me," Gavin muttered.

Kristen rushed back into the room with the tests, breaking the lightheartedness. Ellie backed away from Lucas and looked to Gavin.

Kristen looked to Ellie. "Come here please," she said.

Ellie walked back to the table. "It's going to take at least 48 hours to get that back," she said as Kristen prepped her.

"Not anymore," Kristen replied. "We can have them done instantly now."

Ellie's eyes widened in shock. "Wow, talk about scientific advancement," she said.

"That's not even the half of it," Lucas said.

Ellie shot him a questioning glance as Kristen swabbed the inside of her mouth. Kristen, putting the sample onto the special paper coated with the solution which would activate the test, motioned to Lucas to come over to her.

Lucas walked over to where the tests were set up and submitted to the swab. He watched as the test results came up, even though he couldn't decipher them. But the look on Kristen's face said it all: the tests were a match.

Ellie looked stunned, and she looked at Lucas in amazement, then to Gavin. Gavin smiled at them both.

"You see? I told you I was telling the truth. If you don't believe that I'm his father, pull up Lawrence Wolenczak's biological profile. You have access to it, and it contains his DNA reading. Compare them and you'll see that they don't match Lucas'"

"This is unreal," Lucas said. "This means that my whole life is a lie."

"I'm sorry to have to break it to you this way Lucas," Gavin replied. "I brought her here so that you could get to know her, and she could get to know you. I want you to know where you really came from. You're here because you are too much like her. Lawrence tried to break you, force any piece of Ellie out of you, but he couldn't. That's why he sent you here, because he'd failed and hated to be reminded daily that you were Ellie's son."

Westphalen and Bridger said nothing. This was not their conversation. Lucas tried to take the information in. This is why he'd been sent away? Why he had never been good enough? It made sense. He was not Lawrence's son; he was the son of the two people standing here before him. If Lawrence knew about it, as Gavin said he did, then he would have tried to mold Lucas to be like him. And oh, how he had tried and failed miserably. When he couldn't, when it was clear who he really took after, he'd been sent into a sort of exile so he wouldn't be a constant reminder.

"Gavin, uh…I mean…Dad… god this is weird," Lucas started.

Gavin chuckled, "Yeah I know, it's ok."

Lucas continued, "If Ellie is my mother, where is she now? Why didn't she keep me?"

Gavin sighed, telling everyone that this was not a piece of information he wanted to share. "She's dead Lucas. She died shortly after giving birth to you."

"WHAT?" Ellie screamed.

"Ells, I'm sorry, I…"

"No…no no no Gavin."

"It's why I brought you here Ells. So he could know you, and so you could go back knowing that he would be alright."

"But Gavin…I'm only 23…I'm not ready to die."

"You're not going to have a choice my love. I'm sorry," he said, taking her in his arms. "Just know it, and make the best of your time Ells."

Ellie, surprisingly calm, nodded. She wasn't going to go ballistic in front of Lucas, he'd been through enough already.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Lucas said, sitting down.

Ellie, motherly instinct taking over, grabbed the trash can and brought it to Lucas, kneeling next to him and stroking his hair. Bridger was dumbfounded as he watched Lucas tolerate being petted, something he normally would never have handled well.

"Dr. Westphalen," Gavin said. "It's almost time for me to go for now. The only way that Lucas will get what he needs from Ellie is if you take them to Chatton. They have a new invention there, which will allow Lucas, once Ellie is hooked up to it, to be guided through her memories as if he was watching a movie. It's the fastest way. I can be there to guide her in the right direction."

Kristen nodded. "I'll contact them at once."

"Thank you," Gavin replied. "Ells, I have to go, I'll see you again soon."

Ellie stood and embraced Gavin. "I'll see you soon," she whispered.

"In more ways than one," he replied, and then was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

"Lucas, I think you ought to head back to your bunk now. To say that you've had a long day would be been an understatement. We'll contact Chatton and get this set up as soon as possible." Bridger said. Lucas nodded dumbly.

"Captain, if you don't mind, I'll go with him," Ellie said. "We have a lot of talking to do."

"Of course," Bridger replied.

Lucas stood and headed out of the room, Ellie following him. He stopped in the corridor and faced her. The two just stared at each other for a moment, before Lucas reached out and took her hand. "My mother," he whispered.

Ellie bit her lip, and nodded. "It's just as weird for me as it is for you. But you need some rest Lucas, you look terrible."

"Thanks," he replied with a smirk. Still holding her hand, he guided her down the passageways that led to Mammal Engineering and his quarters. Once inside, he looked around, a bit ashamed of the mess but almost too tired to care.

"Sorry for the mess," he said.

"Don't be, you're 17, I expect nothing less than complete anarchy in your own space," she replied with a smile. "I'd be disappointed if it was all crazy neat in here. Lawrence is like that, a neat freak."

"Boy is he ever," Lucas commiserated, sitting down on his bunk and motioning to the chair.

Ellie sat down, and looked at all of the things on his desk. Picking up a mini disk she stared at it. "What's this?"

"A mini disk; that one's data on the ship's systems. The green ones are my music collection."

"Oh? We still listen to CD's and they're a lot bigger than this! What kind of music do you like?"

"I like everything really," he replied.

"Me too," she said. "I sing in a band you know…well, at least I did before I married Lawrence."

Lucas just stared at her. This girl was his mother, and she liked all kinds of music and even sang in a band. Not like Cynthia, who was a music snob and couldn't sing a note if she tried.

"Hey, Lucas…got any crackers in here? I don't feel well."

"Ummm…yeah, here," he said, pulling some cheese crackers out of his secret space. "Motion sickness?"

"No, morning sickness," she replied. At that moment, both realized the implications of what she had just said.

"That's me…in there?" Lucas said, incredulously.

"I guess so," Ellie replied.

"Whoa, talk about weird." Lucas said.

Ellie nodded and ate another cracker. "Tell me what your life has been like," she said, after she'd finished chewing.

"Well, I was done with elementary school by 9, graduated high school by 13 and had my college degree by 16," he began.

"Wow, are you a genius?" Ellie asked him, shocked.

"Yeah that's what they say, 245 IQ."

"Jesus! Way to go Lucas," she said, smiling.

"Thanks," he said, grinning. "We moved a lot because of my Dad's, I mean, Lawrence's work and I got bored easily. So he sent me here."

Ellie nodded. "Sounds like Lawrence. Can't confront anything head on."

"You don't sound like you like him very much."

"No, I do, in my own way. Not anymore after some of the revelations here today. But no, I'm not in love with him."

"Then why did you marry him?"

"Hmm…because at the time it seemed like what I should do. It was a mistake."

Lucas was quiet for a minute. "He's not a nice person, and he doesn't care much about me."

"I'm sorry Lucas," she said. "I wish I could prevent all of this for you. We would have been okay, just you and I."

Lucas looked up at her, seeing how sincere she was. A life with her, no nannies, no fear, just happiness and love. He felt deeply what he was missing. He looked down, his expression darkening.

"Hey," she said, "It's okay; you've made it this far Lucas. You're free."

Lucas looked up again, realizing that she had clearly read what no one else would have seen. She was his mother, indeed.

"Yeah, you're right. In a way, I am."

"More than in a way. You are. You're away from him. In a year you'll be considered an adult and you won't have to have anything more to do with him if you don't want to. It seems like the Captain cares a lot about you."

"You noticed that?"

"Of course. He's a good father figure to have."

Lucas nodded. He looked at her again, looking for physical similarities but seeing none. As if she were reading his mind, Ellie said, "You look like your father. You have my personality," she laughed.

Lucas laughed with her and then rubbed his eyes. He was exhausted. Ellie picked up on this immediately and stood up.

"Lucas, lay down. You need to get some sleep."

"What about you?"

"I'll be okay," she said.

Lucas laid back and kicked off his shoes. He sighed as his back relaxed. To his surprise, Ellie squeezed next to him. He turned his head to look at her.

"Sorry, making you uncomfortable?"

"No, just a shock is all. I've never been a physical person, this never happened at home. I had a nanny."

Ellie frowned. "That sucks," she said flatly.

Lucas couldn't stifle the laugh and quickly had her laughing too. He turned on his side and backed up to the glass as far as he could, giving her some more space. She too, turned on her side so that they were facing each other. He still felt so drawn to her, but now he knew why. His connection to her was so strong, unlike anything he'd known.

"Close your eyes Lucas," Ellie said softly.

Lucas did as he was bid, closing his eyes. He felt Ellie's hand move to his head again, stroking his hair lightly. It made his whole body tingle and then flood with warm relaxation. He felt every muscle in his body relax for the first time in what felt like ages. He took a deep breath, and sighed, contentedly. And then he was asleep, the most restful sleep he'd had in a long time.


	6. Chapter 6

Ellie slid quietly out of Lucas' small bunk, taking great care not to wake him. He looked peaceful and happy now; she wanted him to stay that way for a little while. Standing up, she looked around the room. Not much to do here. She decided that she would do a little exploring while Lucas slept.

Opening the door, she stepped out into the corridor and shut the door quietly behind her. She hoped she'd be able to find her way back. She looked both ways, and saw light coming from her right, so she decided to head that way.

Walking down the corridor, she came to a large room with a pool in the center. She walked up to the pool and looked inside, wondering what they kept in here. She nearly squealed in delight when she saw a dolphin swimming to the surface.

"Lucas is so lucky! This is the coolest place," she breathed.

The dolphin came to the surface and nudged her hand. She complied and stroked the top of its head.

"Look at you," she said. "So pretty! I've never gotten this close to a dolphin before."

"He can talk you know," said a strange voice.

Ellie spun around to see Samantha standing in the doorway. "Dolphins can't talk…can they?" she asked.

Samantha smiled at her bewilderment. "This one can, thanks to this device Lucas invented called the vocorder."

"Lucas invented something to make dolphins talk?"

Samantha shrugged. "He got bored in college," she grinned, obviously joking, but at the same time not in her confirmation of Ellie's assertion.

"He's very smart."

Samantha nodded. "He's more than smart."

"I know, I just can't think of a better word at the moment. I'm a little overwhelmed by all of this," she said, gesturing around her.

"I don't blame you. I was too when I first got here."

"I'm Ellie," she said, extending her hand.

"Samantha, you can call me Sam, everyone else does," Sam replied, accepting her hand.

"Sam it is then."

"I know who you are," Sam said bluntly.

"Excuse me?" Ellie said.

"I know that you're Lucas' real mother."

"Oh, yes…strange isn't it?"

"Just a little," Sam said sarcastically, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Are you Lucas' girlfriend?" Ellie asked, just as bluntly.

Sam nearly spit her coffee across the room. "Me? Lucas? Nooooooo," she replied. "Lucas has a girlfriend; another genius, her name is Juliana."

Ellie nodded. "I only hope she knows how to handle Lucas as well as you do."

"What? How do you…"

"I'm perceptive," Ellie said with a half-smile.

Samantha laughed, she liked Ellie already. She was just as much a smart-ass as Lucas was. She could see where he'd gotten it.

"Do you want to see how this works?" Sam asked.

"Hell yes!" Ellie replied enthusiastically.

Sam pushed the button. "Hello Darwin, this is Ellie."

"Hello Ellie," Darwin replied.

"Holy crap!" Ellie exclaimed. "That has to be the coolest thing I have ever seen!"

"Ellie, Lucas same?" Darwin asked.

"Yes Darwin," Sam replied. "Ellie is Lucas' mother."

"Ellie Lucas same number of years," Darwin stated.

"Not exactly," Sam replied. "It's complicated."

"Okay. Lucas sleep. Darwin swim."

Ellie laughed. "Okay Darwin, have fun."

"Darwin have fun always," the dolphin said before disappearing under the water again.

Ellie laughed in delight, and Sam, like Lucas before her, tried to see all of this through the eyes of someone who had never seen any of it, and to whom most of it sounded like straight science fiction.

"Come on, I'll show you around," Sam said with a smile.

_For more on the Lucas and Samantha back story, please see the story _"Skin Deep" _written by K. Presson._


	7. Part 2, Chapter 7: To have a Mother

Lucas woke up alone in the silence of his quarters. He wondered for a moment if it had all been a dream, but then his eyes fell on the box of cheese crackers and it cleared his head of any doubt of the reality. He stretched, feeling completely refreshed and relaxed. He sat up, pulling his shoes back on. He wondered where Ellie had gone, and headed out to find her.

Thinking that Kristen must have come for her, he headed toward the MedBay. As he neared the galley, he heard the familiar sound of Sam's guitar and turned the corner to see what she was doing. To his shock, he saw Ellie, playing Sam's guitar and singing. Gathered around her were Sam, Ben, Tim, and Miguel. Not wanting to interrupt, he stepped back and listened. Her voice was lovely, and she was singing what sounded like a lullaby. Lucas felt a pang of sorrow in his stomach, knowing that this, too, was something he would miss.

As she finished, the small audience applauded her. "Thanks, I wrote that when I found out I was pregnant," she explained.

"I think it's beautiful," Sam replied. "Too bad Lucas didn't pick up your singing talent," she quipped.

Lucas froze. Did the whole ship know? They must. There was no keeping Ellie's presence a secret. Strangely, he didn't care who knew. He was happy to finally have a mother, and even happier that it turned out to be this one.

Ellie laughed. "He can't sing? He must have gotten that from Gavin. He couldn't sing at all, unless you count off-key as a note."

"Hey, I resent that," Lucas said, walking into the galley.

"Truth hurts Wolenczak," Sam replied.

"Yeah whatever," Lucas said, unable to think of a more suitable come back at the moment.

"Hey Lucas, did you sleep well?" Ellie asked.

"I did, thanks. What's with the impromptu concert?"

"Oh, well, I went to the moon pool while you were asleep. I met Darwin and Sam. She showed me how the vocorder worked that you invented. Very cool! Then she showed me around and she mentioned that she played guitar. We got to talking about music and I told her that I hadn't played in a while, and well, here we are."

"You met Darwin?"

"Yeah!"

Lucas nodded. "I see you've met the guys too." Ellie smiled and nodded.

"Dude, Lucas, your mom rocks!" Ben said.

"Uh, thanks?" Lucas replied.

"Yeah, fascinating story," Tim said.

Lucas looked at them all quizzically. For once, they weren't teasing him. "Hey Sam, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Cause I need to…" Lucas said, gritting his teeth. Sam recognized the sign and stood up, following him around the corner.

"Why do you always give me grief?"

"Sorry, but it's fun."

Lucas groaned. "Look, that isn't even what I wanted to talk to you about. We have to go back to Chatton, Ellie and I. I want you to come with us."

"Okay, but it seems kind of personal. Are you sure you want me there?"

"Yes," Lucas said, his voice tinged with sadness.

"Lucas, what's wrong? Why do you really want me to come?"

"Because I don't know if she'll be coming back with me."

Sam's breath caught. "What do you mean by that?"

"She dies Sam, right after having me, she dies. I don't know what is going to happen at Chatton, but I feel like she's not coming back, and I don't want to be alone."

"Lucas…"

"She knows Sam, Gavin told us. He just didn't tell us how, but I have a feeling that we'll find out."

"Oh Lucas…I'm sorry…"

"Please don't. I just want to enjoy this time with her. I just wanted to ask you to come to Chatton."

"Of course I'll come." Sam replied.

"Thanks," Lucas said.

At that moment, Ellie came around the corner. "Everything okay you guys?"

Lucas smiled. "Yeah, I was just asking Sam if she would come with us to Chatton."

"Great! Are you coming?"

Sam nodded, straining to keep the sadness out of her face. She looked at Lucas, who didn't seem to be having any problems at all. It was as if he'd forgotten it already. It was evident already how much he loved Ellie. They hadn't known about their relationship long, but the bond was there. Ellie had given him something that he'd never had, and he was cherishing every second he could. Ellie was his mother, he loved her deeply, and it was as if they had never been separated. Sam felt all of this as she watched them talk. She knew that in reality, all Lucas had done was push the knowledge of Ellie's fate into the furthest recesses of his mind so that he could deal with it later. She'd be there when he did.


	8. Chapter 8

"Nathan, everything is ready at Chatton. They'll be expecting us tomorrow afternoon."

He nodded to Kristen. "Good, it gives Lucas some time with her."

"I hope he'll be alright," Kristen said, sounding worried.

He hoped so too. He really cared about Lucas, and had taken the boy under his wing when it was clear that his father would do nothing of the sort. Now, all in less than 24 hours, everything that Lucas had known about his world had been completely shattered and Nathan had the feeling that there was more to come.

He was happy to see Lucas finally have part of what he'd always secretly wished for: a mother who loved him. But how hard it must be for him to have that happiness tempered by the fact that he was likely about to lose her. Lucas knew what lay in store for Ellie, so did Ellie herself for that matter. What was going through their heads in these stolen moments?

"Lucas is a tough kid, he'll make it through whatever happens," Nathan replied.

"I'll go find them and tell them to be ready to go."

Nathan nodded and went back to his thoughts.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Full house boys, read 'em and weep!" Ellie called out, tossing her cards down on the table.

"Damn! She wins again! Ellie are you sure you aren't some poker shark?" Ben grumbled.

"Nope, just had some really good teachers. But you didn't believe me did you? Now I have your money!" Ellie said, snickering. "Actually, Lucas has your money, cause if I went home with this it wouldn't do me any good."

"Woo hoo!" Lucas yelled.

"Oh hell no Wolenczak, you are so not getting my money!"

"Hey man, it's hers to do with as she will."

"He's right. And I choose to give it to my darling son," Ellie said, pinching Lucas' cheek in jest.

"Hey hey, none of that now!" Lucas said, frowning.

"Aww, come on Lucas I was just playing." Ellie said, giving him a gentle shove.

Lucas grinned. "I know."

"You two are a bunch of hustlers!"

"Your mama," Ellie and Lucas said at the same time. Both looked up and at each other, then started laughing hysterically, along with Tim, Miguel and Sam. Ben looked less than pleased.

"Awww Ben," Ellie said through her laughter. "Don't look so pissed off. It's your turn to deal."

The laughter resumed as Ben collected the cards and started to shuffle the deck. Suddenly, Ellie gasped and let out a shriek of pain. Everything stopped as they all turned to see what was wrong. Lucas grabbed Ellie before she fell out of her seat.

"Mom," Lucas said, without even thinking twice. "What's wrong?! Are you okay?!"

Sam jumped up and ran around to the other side of the table. "Ellie?"

Ellie was in so much pain she couldn't even speak or cry out, but the tears streaming down her cheeks were enough to let everyone know something wasn't right. She was clutching her abdomen.

"Oh Christ," Sam said, running for the com just as Kristen came into the galley.

Seeing that something was wrong with Ellie, she ran over to see what the problem was. She felt the girl's stomach and abdomen, and realized that what she was experiencing was the first of many muscle stretchings to make room for the baby.

"Sam, run down to MedBay and get me the blue vial of the muscle relaxant, and hurry."

Sam nodded and took off. Kristen looked at Lucas, whose panic stricken face shocked her. "Lucas, she'll be ok," Kristen said.

"What's happening to her?"

"It's normal, her muscles are stretching to make room for…well…you. It can be quite painful, but she'll be fine."

Sam returned with the muscle relaxant, a syringe, and a sterile swab, handing them to Kristen. "Thanks Sam. Okay, Ellie, this is going to sting a bit, but it will make the pain subside."

Ellie nodded and did her best to hold still. Lucas held her close and watched carefully. Kristen slid the needle into a vein in Ellie's arm and injected the relaxant for the quickest effect. Slowly, Ellie's body relaxed and she began to breathe normally again.

"Thank you so much," she whispered. "I was scared."

"It's understandable," Kristen said. "Didn't your doctor warn you of this?"

Ellie shook her head. "It was Lawrence's pick of a doctor. I don't really like him that much."

Kristen frowned but said nothing else about it. She looked around at the others, who were worriedly looking on. "I think she's had enough excitement for one night. We're expected at Chatton tomorrow afternoon."

Lucas looked up quickly. "Tomorrow afternoon? Does it have to be so soon?"

Kristen felt for the boy, he wasn't ready to let go of these precious moments with Ellie. "Yes Lucas, I'm afraid so."

"But I'm not ready yet, I…I have stuff to do. It'll have to wait a couple of weeks at least," he said, making excuses.

"Lucas," Kristen started.

"No! Not yet!" he cried desperately.

"Lucas, please, it's okay," whispered Ellie.

He looked down at her. "No, it's not okay. Just stay a little longer."

Ellie shook her head. "And if I stay a little longer what then? Will it be a little longer after that? I can't stay forever Lucas, even though I want to."

Despite his best efforts, Lucas was losing his composure quickly. "I'll be alone again, they don't care about me," he whispered.

"Who doesn't honey?" Ellie asked, slipping in the endearment without even thinking about it.

Her calling him "honey" broke Lucas' heart, and a tear slid down his cheek. "Lawrence and Cynthia. They don't care about me, they don't remember my birthday, nothing! I'm as good as dead down here."

Ben stood by silently. As much as he wanted to watch this, he tapped Miguel and Tim on their shoulders and motioned that they should leave. All three filed quietly out of the room.

Ellie sat up. "Oh…baby…I'm sorry, I don't know what to do to make this better," Ellie whispered to him.

Her last words to him completely shattered the dam behind which he'd been holding everything he felt, and he burst into tears, not caring who saw him or what they thought. He knew nothing but his own pain and confusion.

Sam and Kristen's jaws dropped at seeing Lucas' display of tears. Neither was sure what to make of it. Ellie silently wrapped her arms around her son and pulled him close, not realizing that it was the first time anyone had held him as he cried. It caused his tears to fall even harder, and the moans of pain that escaped his throat were too much for anyone witnessing the scene to bear.

Sam backed away, her own tears threatening as she both witnessed and felt the extreme pain of her best friend. Kristen was looking down, her face unreadable. Ellie rocked softly back and forth, not saying anything, just letting him get out whatever he needed to. Lucas, his head on her shoulder, clung to her as if she would disappear at that very moment. For a split second he wished that this had never happened, that he had never known about her. But that quickly faded as he couldn't imagine not knowing about her now. Why did this have to be taken away from him? Why had he had to miss out on this, on her?

Slowly, his sobs eased and he felt emotionally drained, but he still didn't let her go. He knew that their time together was drawing to a close and there was nothing he could do to fight it.

Ellie pulled back and looked into his eyes. "Lucas, no matter what happens; I want you to know that I love you, and that I would never leave you by choice. If I had had a choice, I would have taken you away; we would have made our own way. I'll always be with you now Lucas, regardless of what happens." She kissed his forehead softly and then hugged him again.

Lucas nodded mutely, and stood up, wiping his face with the sleeve of his flannel shirt. He reached out his hand and helped Ellie to her feet.

"There isn't enough room in Lucas' quarters for you both so we've set up one of the guest quarters where there are two beds. I'll show you the way," Kristen said.

She walked out, Ellie following her and Lucas behind them both. Sam stood by the doorway, and grabbed Lucas' sleeve as he walked by her. He stopped and looked at her, face still streaked with tears.

"Lucas…I'm sorry, really."

"I know Sam," he said, squeezing her hand before he walked away.


	9. Chapter 9

_Again, there are some references here from _Skin Deep, _written by K. Presson. For more back story on Lucas and Samantha, and for a detailed understanding of the events that Lucas relates to Ellie, please read _Skin Deep_, it's a good one! Thanks!_

Walking out of the mess hall, he quickly caught up to Kristen and Ellie. He hung back a bit though, just watching them. He watched how Ellie walked, fearless, her head up. No one looking at her would believe that she could be scared of anything. He turned his eyes to Kristen, someone who had done her best to be a motherly figure to him. He noted that she, too, walked with her head high, appearing every bit as confident as she usually was.

Ellie caught the sound of his footsteps behind them and turned back to look at him. She gave him a small smile, and motioned to him to catch up. The little kid in him almost caused him to break into a sprint to join her, but the man in him caused him to hesitate and hold back. Though his tears, for the moment, had stopped, his heart was still breaking and he was almost afraid of getting near her now. What if he couldn't handle losing her? What would happen to him?

She saw the darkness pass across his features and her brow furrowed. She turned her head forward again; she wouldn't force him to do anything that he didn't want to do. He was hurt and afraid, she could sense it clearly, and she understood. Inside, she was just as hurt as he. Here was this wonderful, beautiful young man. He was her son; and she would never get to see him grow up. She would never see Lucas' first steps, hear him speak for the first time, witness all of his accomplishments. Her chest tightened as she fought to keep back all of those feelings. She had to be strong for Lucas; she couldn't dissolve into a teary mess in front of him.

As the thoughts passed through Ellie's mind, a wave of intense sadness and emotion washed over Lucas so that he could hardly breathe. He heard her thoughts almost as if she had spoken them aloud, and he wondered for a moment if she had. But he knew that she had not said a word, if she had, Kristen would have responded to her. He realized then that the bond that had formed between he and Ellie had gone beyond anything that he knew. He struggled to keep himself in check, knowing now that he was not the only one who would be hurt by all of this.

They reached the guest quarters and entered. The room was simple but elegantly decorated, with a bed on each side of the room. On one of the beds, Kristen had placed a set of surgical scrubs for Ellie to wear. Ellie noticed them and thanked Kristen quietly.

"You're welcome. I'll wake you both up in the morning," Kristen said, walking out and shutting the door.

Alone again, the two looked at each other from across the room. He saw Ellie fidget with her hands, something that he did occasionally. He gave a small, unnoticeable smirk before turning away and sitting on the bed. He knew he should say something to her, but he didn't know what. He heard her sigh, pick up the scrubs and walk into the washroom to change.

Lucas, alone with his own thoughts for a moment, closed his eyes and rested his head in his hands. It couldn't end like this, he couldn't pull away and be cold now, it would do neither of them any good and he ran the risk of missing out on so much. He looked up as he heard the door open and saw Ellie emerge, dressed comfortably in the scrubs, her hair down. She looked so pretty, even dressed down for sleep.

She stopped and looked at him, then continued on to the bed on the other side of the room. She laid down quietly, her back to him. She didn't know what to say to him and he didn't seem to want to talk.

As he saw her turn her back, Lucas sat up straight. Had he offended her somehow? No, it wasn't that. He realized that he had already turned himself off, and she was reacting to that by just not bothering him. Lucas knew that this was exactly the right thing to do when he was in a mood like this, but it wasn't the right thing for this moment. He stood up and walked over to where Ellie lay; touching her shoulder lightly. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, and then gave him what he didn't even know he'd been wanting, a smile.

He smiled back at her, and sat down next to her. She turned over to face him, and moved back against the wall, just as he had done in his quarters earlier. He recognized the invitation and lay down next to her. They just looked at each other for a long moment before Ellie spoke.

"So, Lucas, what's up between you and Sam?"

Lucas was taken aback by the question. "What do you mean?"

Ellie grinned and poked a finger in his chest. "You know what I mean. Do you like her?"

"Of course I like her, she's my friend."

Ellie laughed. "No, do you _like _her."

Lucas thought for a moment and then it dawned on him. "Oh! Uh, no I don't think so, at least not that I am aware of at the moment."

She nodded. "So then what is it with you guys then, because something is definitely up there."

"Ummm…" Lucas hesitated before deciding to tell her the whole story about the VRN experiment, sharing his body with Sam, going to Chatton, losing control of himself when Sam took over and got drunk, of having to force Sam out of him and back into her own body, of how they now shared many things after sharing the same space, having taken pieces of each other the way they had.

Ellie listened, wide eyed, laughing as he told her about learning to share his body with Sam and all the missteps that came with it, as well as when he told her about Sam getting drunk on the night when she'd been in full control.

"My goodness Lucas, that's quite an adventure!"

"I'll say," Lucas muttered.

"Very cool though, that you have that ability, and that kind of connection with her. I have a feeling that it will serve you well in the future, but for now it's nice to see that you have a friend who can truly understand you."

"It has been nice to have someone who understands," Lucas agreed. "It's why I asked her to come with us tomorrow, just in case…"

"Just in case I don't come back," Ellie said, finishing his sentence. "I think that was a good idea. But let's not talk about that now. Tell me more stories about you!"

Lucas grinned, happy to oblige, excited that someone actually cared enough to want to know. Even Juliana hadn't really asked him about his life. The pair laid there, Lucas talking, Ellie listening while laughing or interjecting some point, and talked most of the night. When he ran out of stories to tell her, they moved on to his work and he did his best to explain the technology and what it did. Eventually, completely worn out, Lucas fell asleep mid-sentence. Ellie smiled, thinking how interesting it was that she often did the same thing while talking with Gavin when they got into a really good conversation.

She stroked his hair gently, watching him sleep. He really did look just like Gavin they could have been twins. "Goodnight sweetheart," she whispered.


	10. Chapter 10

Lucas hit the floor with a thud. "Ow," he said, rolling over on his back and not opening his eyes. He stayed there for a moment, fuzzy headed, before it all came flooding back to him. His eyes remained closed. Had it all been a dream? If he opened his eyes, would he be in his own quarters or in the guest quarters with Ellie? He didn't even have to open his eyes to find out.

"Lucas, honey, are you okay?" Ellie said, her voice washing over him like a pleasant memory.

Lucas cracked one eye open and saw her leaning over the edge of the bed, looking at him with concern. Her hair hung down on either side of her face and she insistently pushed it back behind her ears.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just forgot that I was sharing a bed and that I had less space than normal," he explained, pushing himself up and leaning on an elbow.

"Oh…okay. I know I'm not that bad when it comes to taking up space," she said with a smirk.

Lucas chuckled. "No, all me."

Ellie grinned, and suddenly reached out and put her hand on Lucas' forehead, then shoved him, causing him to lose his balance and fall back to the floor.

"Hey!" Lucas said with fake indignation.

Ellie laughed. "Sorry, but it was too easy, I couldn't help myself."

"Sure," Lucas grumbled, even though he was smiling. He would have done the same thing.

A knock sounded at the door and the two looked at each other. "Come in," Lucas called out.

Kristen walked into the room and took in the scene; Lucas on the floor with the blanket tangled around him, Ellie on the bed, leaning over the edge. "You two look like you had fun," she said cheerily.

Lucas and Ellie grinned at each other and at Kristen, and she was taken aback by the similarity she saw there, the way the eyes positively lit up. "Here," she said, handing Ellie some clothing. "I got these from Lt. Commander Hitchcock. You're about the same size and she figured that you might like to change into some new clothes."

"How nice of her, please give her my thanks," Ellie said, taking the clothes from Kristen.

"I will," she replied. Out of her pocket she drew a small bag with a toothbrush, toothpaste and a small hairbrush. "Thought you could use these as well," Kristen said.

"Thank you, I was starting to wonder where I'd come by these things!"

Kristen nodded and gave a small smile. "Lucas, you can go on to your quarters and get cleaned up. We'll all meet in the Captain's quarters in 20 minutes."

Lucas nodded and stood up, grabbing the shoes he'd taken off sometime during the night and walking out the door. As it shut behind him, Ellie let out a deep sigh, and looked down at the floor.

"I'm going to miss him," she said softly.

Kristen took a chair from the small table and sat down in front of Ellie. "I know, but he is in good hands."

Ellie looked up, her cheeks wet with the tears that she'd been holding in. "Yes, he is, and I thank you for that. But I still would love nothing more than to be able to be here for him, to be able to celebrate all of his accomplishments and give him all of the love and attention that Lawrence apparently has neglected. He is so special and I hate that Lawrence can't see far enough past his own issues to realize it. I'm afraid for him, afraid that he is going to turn into a cold man, like Lawrence, because he was never given the attention he needed and deserved, because he learned that this is what people are like."

"Yes, Lucas is a special boy indeed. I'm sorry that Lawrence has neglected him so much, and I had the same concerns about his emotional standing as you do. But he has opened up so much since coming here, and especially since meeting Sam. He has been learning that not everyone is distant, cold and unfeeling."

"I don't want to leave," she whispered. "I want to stay with him, he needs me."

"But you can't stay," Kristen replied gently. "You know that you can't."

Ellie looked down again. "You're right, I can't. I know that, but I still want to stay. But if we're going to be on time, we'd better get going," Ellie said, scrubbing her tears away with her hands.

Kristen saw the wall go up and let it be. It was the same wall that Lucas would throw up at a moment's notice if he felt someone was getting too close. "I'll wait for you outside so I can show you the way."

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Lucas headed toward the Captain's quarters, his mind moving a million miles an hour. Was there some way he could get Ellie to stay? Even if he did, what would happen when he was born? He put his hands to his temples; this thought process was giving him a headache.

He reached the Captain's quarters and knocked. He heard the Captain give him permission to enter and he pushed open the door. The Captain, Ellie and Kristen were already seated around a table set for breakfast. Ellie looked normal to him now, dressed as she was in Hitchcock's clothes. There was nothing retro about the khaki cargo pants, light blue tank top and sandals that she'd been given. Her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and you could clearly see the lines of her face. She was beautiful and Lucas thought that he could see why both his father and Gavin had been attracted to her.

"Have a seat Lucas," the Captain said.

Lucas sat down and looked at the food. He was, as always, starving, but he remembered his manners and waited patiently. Ellie gave him a sideways glance and bit her lip to keep from laughing. She could see that he was starving and that it was taking all of his willpower to keep from attacking the plates of food.

Bridger saw it too, and decided to put the teen out of his misery. "Go ahead Lucas."

He didn't need a second invitation and quickly filled his plate with eggs, bacon, hash browns and a piece of toast. The others followed suit, though not piling on as much as Lucas had. They ate in relative silence, all lost in their own thoughts, until Ellie spoke.

"Lucas, you should have some of this orange juice."

Lucas froze, mid-chew and looked at her. Someone was suggesting that he have something?

She stared back at him, quite serious. "You should, the vitamin C, you know. I'm sure that with everyone living so closely together, you have an awful time when a cold goes around!"

"But…" Kristen began.

Lucas stopped her by nudging her with his foot under the table. Swallowing, he said, "Okay I will, thank you for thinking of it."

Ellie smiled softly and poured him a glass, handing it to him. Kristen realized then why Lucas had stopped her. It didn't matter that colds were easily taken care of now, not as they had been in 2002. It was the thought that mattered, the fact that she was trying to take care of Lucas, and he didn't want it marred for either of them with trivial details over colds and their prevention.

Another knock sounded and the Captain gave permission to enter. Sam stepped into the room.

"Good morning sir," she said.

"Good morning Sam, would you like to join us?"

"I'll just have a cup of coffee, thanks."

Bridger handed her a cup and poured the coffee for her. Sam looked to both Ellie and Lucas.

"Ellie, are you feeling better this morning?"

"Better? Did something happen last night?" Bridger asked.

"Oh, just things in the normal flow of a pregnancy," Kristen answered. Bridger nodded his understanding.

"I am, thank you for asking Sam," she said. The two women shared a look between them, indicating that there was more to it than the others knew, but all left it alone.

"Well," Bridger said, surveying the empty plates. "Are we ready?"

"No," Lucas mumbled.

Ellie reached out and took Lucas' hand, giving him a pleading look. "Lucas," she said. Lucas frowned but said nothing else.

"Alright then, we're as ready as we'll ever be. Sam, is the launch ready?"

"Yes sir."

"Good, let's go."

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Ellie climbed down the ladder and into the launch bay. She looked around in amazement, looking through the windows out into the open sea. She put her hands on the glass and strained to see as far as she could.

"Look," Ellie breathed.

"Huh?" Lucas said, turning.

"Look at it Lucas…I've never seen anything like this."

Even though he'd seen it many times, he looked again. He saw a fish swim by; it's own bio-incandescence lighting its way. Ellie saw it too and was fascinated. It was still hard for him to imagine what this must be like for her, hard to remember that this wasn't possible yet as far as she knew.

"C'mon, time to go," he said.

Ellie pulled herself away from the window and stepped into the launch. Even this she held in awe, observing all of the blinking lights and switches. Lucas guided her to a seat.

"You have to buckle in, like this," he explained as he attached the belts. "It can be a rough ride depending."

Lucas sat down next to her and hooked himself in as Hitchcock's voice came over the com. "Shuttle you're clear to go."

There was a slight shake as the shuttle moved out into the open water. Ellie turned her head and watched through the front windows. Lucas watched, thinking it was amusing that she was trying to take it all in as if she would never see it again.

And then he realized: she wouldn't.


	11. Chapter 11

Chatton Parapsychology Center – Florida

The breeze was warm as they stepped off of the launch and into the Florida sunshine. Both Lucas and Samantha had quickly thrown on their sunglasses, as had Captain Bridger and Dr. Westphalen. Sam had even thought ahead and brought a pair for Ellie, who slipped them on and then stepped out onto the lawn and threw her arms out, turning her face up to the sunshine.

"I don't know how you guys do it," she said. "I'd miss the sun."

"You get used to it pretty quickly," Sam replied.

"Yep," Lucas agreed.

The group moved forward to where a party of Chatton scientists awaited them, along with Dr. Laura Fletcher. She greeted them warmly and introduced them to the members of the team that would be conducting Ellie's session. Dr. Fletcher took Ellie in as she shook hands with the members of the scientific team. She now knew where Lucas had inherited his "gift." But Ellie had even more than Lucas, and Dr. Fletcher found it fascinating, wondering if Ellie even realized all that she could do.

"Ellie, Lucas, Samantha, why don't you let the guides show you to your rooms?" Dr. Fletcher said.

The three followed the guides away as Dr. Fletcher turned to the Captain. "Captain, Doctor, a pleasure as always."

"It's good to see you again Laura," Bridger replied.

"Indeed. And you've brought us yet another interesting case involving the young Lucas. I was just saying to myself that I can see now where he got his gift for co-habitation. She, Ellie, can do it as well. She also has many other abilities, I wonder if she knows about them."

"Abilities? Such as?" Kristen questioned.

"Well, besides being able to take in another soul just as Lucas can, she has strong psychic ability, as well as the ability to use telekinesis if she was trained to do it."

"Somehow I don't think she is aware," Bridger stated.

"Pity," Dr. Fletcher replied. "She has real potential. But, if what you say is correct, she doesn't have much longer."

"No, she doesn't," replied Bridger, sadly.

"Poor Lucas," Dr. Fletcher said. "It's clear how attached to her he's already become. It's going to be seriously damaging to him when she's gone."

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Lucas was placed in the same room as he'd been in during his last visit to Chatton. Sam and Ellie were placed on either side of him. He set his bag down next to the bed and sat down. He stared at the vidcom console and wondered if Lawrence would call him this time as well. He hoped not, because he didn't know what he would say and he certainly wouldn't be able to act normally.

He lay down on the bed, closing his eyes. He wasn't ready for this, he didn't want it. All he wanted was for Ellie to stay. The Captain could send her someplace safe where Lawrence would never find her. When she had the baby, him, he could have a brother, she could name him something other than Lucas. He made a mental note to ask the Captain about it.

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Ellie sat down at the desk in her room and pulled a piece of paper from the desk drawer along with a pen. She stared out of the window, wondering what she should write. She wanted to write a letter to Lucas, so that she might say all of those things to him that never seemed to come out when they were together. It was something for him to have after she was gone, and she wanted it to be as complete as possible.

"Dearest Lucas," she began.

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Lucas was awakened by a knock on his door. "Who is it?" he called out groggily.

"IRS. We've come to repossess your computer."

Lucas got up and walked to the door, opened it, and then walked back to the bed and flopped back down. "What's up?"

"Gee, thanks for the warm welcome. Were you sleeping?" Sam said, stating the obvious.

"Yeah," he mumbled, still sleepy.

"Well, wake up, Ellie and I want to go get lunch."

"So go," Lucas said, before he came to his senses. "Scratch that…I'm up."

Sam folded her arms across her chest and waited.

"What?!" Lucas asked, annoyed.

"I'm waiting for you, because I know that if I don't you're going to go right back to sleep."

Lucas mumbled something unintelligible and sat up. After a few minutes of blinking his eyes, he fully woke up and stood. "Okay, let's go."

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Pizza was the lunch of choice, and after securing a recommendation from one of the students they headed off toward town. They looked like 3 normal students, no one would have thought otherwise. Ellie walked lightly, swinging her arms and just generally enjoying being outside. Her enjoyment was infectious, and soon all 3 were laughing and joking as they walked.

Sitting in the restaurant, they stared at the empty pizza pan, stuffed beyond words.

"I'm so full," Ellie moaned her hand over her stomach.

"Well I should hope so," Lucas teased. "You ate more than Sam and I combined!"

"Hey, that works out if I'm eating for two people."

"That's just an excuse," Lucas said.

"Is it? I have another body to feed…what's your excuse?"

Lucas opened his mouth to come back with some smart-assed comment, but couldn't think of one and just sat back.

"That's what I thought," Ellie said.

Sam snickered and Lucas glared at her. "Hey, I have no loyalties here," she replied. Lucas again opened his mouth to say something.

"All right you two," Ellie interjected. "Let's walk this off."

Lucas growled in frustration and slid out of the booth, heading for the door.

"What's gotten up his butt?" Sam wondered aloud.

"Stress," Ellie replied. "He'll be okay, don't worry."

Both women slid out of their side of the booth and headed out after Lucas. He was standing by the water, just looking out. Ellie came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. He cringed but she didn't move.

"Stop it Lucas," she said quietly.

He turned icy blue eyes on her and shrugged her hand away. "Don't."

Ellie frowned at him. "Lucas, please. Don't do this."

He backed away from her. He couldn't explain what he felt now; he just knew that he didn't want to be around her. Spinning on his heel, he walked away. Ellie just stood there, watching him walk away, before sitting down on the concrete barrier that separated them from the sea. She turned and looked out, just as he had done. "I'm sorry I can't change it Lucas. I'm really sorry," she whispered.

Sam, watching the whole scene, couldn't make sense of what had just happened. Lucas was really going to let it end this way? He was going to hurt Ellie, completely shut down, to avoid the reality? She turned and went after Lucas. She knew that Ellie would be fine on her own. She broke into a run to catch up to him.

"Lucas! What's your issue?"

"Go away Sam."

"I will _not_ go away. What you just did was horrible."

Lucas stopped and spun around to face her. "Horrible? Let me tell you about horrible Sam," he spat. "Horrible is getting her and then losing her in about 48 hours. Horrible is knowing that she's going to die. Horrible is knowing what you're going to be stuck with once she's gone: two people who could care less about you. Horrible is what I feel right now!" he yelled, almost getting in her face.

She shoved him back. "Back off Wolenczak," she growled.

"No! You wanted to know what my issue was! You insisted on talking to me! So here it is Sam!"

"Lucas, you seriously need to chill."

"CHILL?? HOW CAN I CHILL WHEN MY MOTHER IS ABOUT TO DIE??" he screamed.

"Lucas!" Sam yelled, slapping him across the face. "Calm down!"

Lucas backed up, the sting from the blow making his eyes water. "What the hell was that for?" he yelled.

"To get you to realize that you need to stop freaking out and stop taking this out on her! It's not her fault Lucas! She didn't die on purpose!"

Lucas spun around, turning his back to Sam as he ran his hands through his hair. "I can't Sam! I can't do this! I can't get closer to her, I can't be around her any more, and I don't want to feel this anymore! If I do I won't be able to take it when she's gone Sam! I can't…" he said, his voice faltering. He covered his face with his hands to try to regain his composure. Sam watched in silence.

"I'm sorry," he said finally.

"I'm not the one you should be saying that to," she replied.

Lucas turned to face her again, his face a mask of stone. Sam knew that he'd put the wall up over his emotion, and it was probably best.

"Don't you think that she might be feeling the same things that you are Lucas? Don't you think she might be hurting as much as you are? She's the one who's dying Lucas. She's losing everything. You still have your whole life ahead of you."

"Yeah, my whole life without her. Stuck with parents who don't give a rat's ass about me."

"You've come this far without her Lucas. At least now you know who she is, what she's like. She told you, she would always be with you no matter what, and I believe that it's true."

Lucas sighed heavily. "We should go back and find her," he said.

"I think so too."

They walked back in silence only to find Ellie gone. They asked the server inside if he had seen her and were told that she had caught a cab back. Lucas cursed under his breath for being so stupid as he and Sam headed back to the campus.

Upon arrival, there was no sign of Ellie. She didn't answer the door to her room, so Sam and Lucas decided to walk the campus to see if they might find her, but to no avail.

"What if something happened to her already Sam? What if I missed it?" Lucas worried.

"I can't see that it would Lucas. I mean, Gavin set this all up, he wouldn't bring her here in just enough time to take her away before you get what you came here for." She said, as Lucas opened the door to his room and flipped on the light.

"Surprise!" Ellie yelled.

Both Lucas and Sam jumped back. "What the…." Lucas started.

"Surprise I said! Happy Un-Birthday Lucas, to steal a line from Alice in Wonderland."

Lucas looked around the room, seeing that Ellie had decorated it as if for a birthday party. He gave her a confused look.

"I was thinking that since I won't be here for your birthday, I'd throw one for you. After you left, I saw a store across the street. I have the money I won from Ben last night, so I used a little of it to buy this stuff," she said, grinning.

Lucas was taken aback and immediately felt bad. He'd been so mean to her, but she had already forgiven it and was trying to do something nice for him. Despite himself, he smiled and moved to hug her. He wrapped his arms around her slender frame and held her close.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to…"

"It's fine Lucas," she replied. "I understand, trust me, I do." She pulled away from him. "I even got you a cake!"

Lucas laughed. "Alright! What kind?"

"Chocolate, of course."

"How did you…"

"It's my favorite too. Lucky guess?"

Lucas smirked and looked at Sam, who stood next to him. "You staying?"

"Of course! I wouldn't miss chocolate cake for anything."

Ellie brought the cake out of the small refrigerator and stuck a single candle on it. She picked up a small lighter, flicking it, and touched the flame to the wick. "Okay Lucas, make a wish, and make it a good one," she said. "One that you know can actually come true," she added.

"Wait!" Sam cried, whipping a small camera out of her pocket. "Let me take a picture!"

Lucas, already a little taller than Ellie, put his arm around her shoulders as she wrapped her arms around his waist, the cake with its festively glowing candle between them. Sam snapped the picture, looking at the digital display to see how it came out.

"It's a good one. Okay Lucas, blow that candle out!" Sam said cheerfully.

Lucas closed his eyes and wished for the strength to cope with what he knew was coming. He could only hope that this "un-birthday" wish would come true.


	12. Chapter 12

As Bridger neared Lucas' room, he heard laughter and music. Curious, he knocked on the door.

"It's open!" Lucas called out.

Opening the door, he walked in and saw the remnants of a birthday party. Had he missed something?

"Oh! Captain! Just in time for the end of Lucas' 'un-birthday' party! Would you like a piece of cake?" Ellie asked.

Recognizing the reference to Alice in Wonderland he chuckled. "No, thank you though." His face grew serious. "It's time."

A hush fell over the small group, and Lucas looked up at him with panic in his eyes. "Can't it wait until tomorrow Captain? Just one more night," he said.

"I'm sorry Lucas, it can't wait any longer."

Lucas looked away angrily. Ellie stood up and took a deep breath. "Okay, let's do it."

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They were ushered into what looked like a conference room, with a long table in the center and a video screen set up at one end. The scientists, Dr. Fletcher, and Dr. Westphalen were already there.

Ellie stopped cold as she saw a gurney next to the screen, and a small machine next to it. Lucas followed her gaze and saw it too, and he put his hand protectively on her arm.

"Do I have to lay there?" she asked, timidly.

"Yes," Dr. Fletcher replied. "We have to attach you to the machine here, and sleep will be induced. Then we'll see what we need to."

Ellie backed into Lucas. "I don't know if I want to do this anymore," she said.

"You don't have to," Lucas said.

Ellie turned to look up at him. "No, I do have to. I need to do it for you, so you know."

"It'll be all right Ells, don't worry."

The whole group turned at the sound of a new voice. "Gavin," Ellie said softly.

"I told you I'd be here to help. Don't worry Ellie, everything will be fine."

Ellie nodded and walked to where Dr. Fletcher and the other scientists stood, only momentarily distracted by Gavin's presence. They were parapsychologists after all, and it certainly wasn't the first time any of them had seen a ghost. Ellie was helped onto the gurney, and pulled her ponytail out before lying down. Dr. Fletcher pulled her hair back so that it hung off the end of the gurney, as the others placed sensors on her temples and affixed a sort of helmet.

"Did you have fun with her Lucas?" Gavin asked.

Lucas didn't even turn to look at him. All he could see was Ellie being hooked up to a machine. What was he about to see? "Yes," he replied.

"She's wonderful isn't she? I really loved her, still do. I should have married her, taken her away from Lawrence, but I was stupid. But I wanted you to see this, to see her and know her, know how wonderful she was and that you did have parents who truly love you."

Lucas said nothing and just continued to stare ahead.

"We're ready," Dr. Fletcher said. "Dr. Westphalen, if you would please?" Kristen nodded and prepared to administer the sedative.

"Wait!" Lucas cried, running to the gurney. "Not yet!"

Ellie turned her head to look at him, as he ran up. Lucas grabbed her hand. "Thank you, for everything," he said. "I love you, and I'll miss you."

Ellie reached up with her free hand and touched his face. "I love you too Lucas," she said, before nodding to Kristen, who administered the drugs. As the drugs took effect, Ellie's hand fell away from Lucas' face. He caught it and held it as her eyes slowly closed. He hoped he'd always be able to remember them.

"She's under," Kristen said.

"Won't the sedative keep her from dreaming?" Sam asked.

"No, not the kind we used and not in the amount given," Kristen replied.

"Lucas," Bridger said. "Come sit down."

Lucas shook his head, he didn't want to sit. He didn't want to let go of her.

"Lucas," Kristen said, touching his arm. He looked at her as she gently worked Ellie's hand free from Lucas' grip. He turned slowly and went numbly to a seat. Gavin sat down next to him.

"Lucas," he said. "It will be okay, Ellie will be okay. This is the way you will know about her life, and the reasons you are the way you are." Lucas stared blankly ahead, seemingly hearing nothing.

"We're ready," Dr. Fletcher said as she flipped a switch on the machine hooked to Ellie.

The screen came alive with a picture of Ellie riding a horse. She couldn't have been more than 12.

"I'll explain all of this to you," Gavin said softly. "That was her horse, its name was Arwen. She loved the Lord of the Rings series. She didn't ride competitively or anything, she just rode for the sheer joy of doing it. That's the way she is, she does things because they make her happy. If she does something and you ask her why, she'll almost always say…"

"Because I can," Lucas whispered, finishing the thought.

"Yes," Gavin said.

The next picture that flashed to the screen was a picture of a graduation from what looked to be high school. She looked as if she were posing for pictures with her friends, all of them excited, making faces, tired of taking serious pictures. For the first time, Gavin appeared with her.

"This is pretty self explanatory," Gavin said. "She was so excited to be done with high school and on to bigger and better things…" he said, trailing off as a young Lawrence came into the picture. "Lawrence," he said. "He always wanted to date her but she was never interested in that."

The scene changed again, and they saw Ellie, sitting in a lecture hall, scribbling furiously as she attempted to take notes. Lucas sat quietly, enthralled with this but also fearing what was to come. The scene moved to a new graduation. Ellie held up her degree proudly, with Gavin standing next to her, also holding his. Lucas sat forward to see what their degrees were in. Ellie's in English Literature with a minor in psychology, Gavin's in Marine Biology and Oceanography, with a minor in legal studies. Lucas turned to look at Gavin, who was grinning.

"Yeah, you got the science from me, but you took it to a level I never would have even dreamed of."

The picture moved to a party, a barbeque, but this time, there was sound to it.

"Sean!" Ellie called out.

"What Elle Belle?" a man's voice called out, as he moved into view.

"Ah," Gavin interjected. "Sean. Sean is another good friend of ours, in the band that Ellie sometimes sang with. As you'll see, he was the last one there for her. Elle Belle was his nickname for her. Don't ask me why," he said with a chuckle.

"I want you to meet Lawrence," Ellie said as Lawrence came into view. Lucas gasped to see the man he'd known as his father at such a young age. He watched as Lawrence and Sean shook hands, seeing Gavin standing behind Lawrence, his glare unmistakable.

"You're right," Gavin said to Lucas. "I never liked him."

Suddenly there was a church full of people. The view was of someone looking down the aisle towards the doors, and as they swung open, Ellie stood there, dressed in a bridal gown. She looked so beautiful, though not as happy as Lucas had seen her. The view changed to be that of someone walking beside her. She was scanning the crowd for someone, and she locked eyes with Sean. He shook his head, and her face went blank and pale. The memory skipped to the reception, Ellie woodenly greeting people she obviously didn't know. She didn't look as radiantly happy as a bride was supposed to. That is, until Gavin entered the room. At the sight of him, her tension seemed to ease; she smiled and waved to him, making her way across the room to talk to him.

"She was looking for me, at the church. I didn't come because I couldn't stand to see her marry him, but I realized that in doing that I had abandoned her, and I couldn't do that, so I went to the reception."

"Ellie!" they heard Lawrence yell as her memory moved on.

Ellie walked into the room, looking a little flustered. "What Lawrence?"

"Don't you walk away from me when I'm talking to you!"

"But…"

"NO!! You do not walk away from me! I don't want you seeing them any more Ellie, any of them!"

"Lawrence, they're my friends, they were your friends too," Ellie said tearfully.

Lawrence grabbed her arm and pulled her into him, so close that their faces almost touched. "What did I say Eleanor…."

Ellie began to cry, shaking her head. "Stop it," she pleaded.

"I won't. Grow up Ellie. Realize that the time for singing and having fun is over! You're my wife, we come into contact with very important people. You need to become the part, are we clear?"

Lucas' hands balled into fists, so hard that what little bit of nail he had was dug into his palms.

Ellie sobbed silently as she tried to remove herself from Lawrence's grip. "Please let me go! I don't want this Lawrence! This isn't how it's supposed to be!"

"How is it supposed to be? Huh, Ellie? Why don't you clue me in?"

Finally having had enough, Ellie pulled back from. "Let me go Lawrence," she spat.

"Not until we agree!"

Suddenly, Ellie slapped Lawrence hard across the face, the blow hard enough to stun him into letting go of her. There was a collective gasp from all watching. Seeing her chance, she grabbed a set of keys and ran from the room, out of the front door. She jumped into a car, started it and threw it into gear as Lawrence came running out of the house.

"ELLIE!" he screamed. "You'll be sorry for this, do you hear me!!!"

Lucas' knuckles were white as he squeezed his hands together even harder and her memory once again shifted. She was knocking on a door, audibly crying as she waited for someone to answer. Gavin answered the door, and she threw herself into his arms, her whole body shaking with her sobs. Gavin pulled her inside and listened as she recounted the fight she'd just had with Lawrence. He did his best to calm her, reassure her.

"I'm sorry Ellie, this should never have happened, I should never have let it."

"What?" Ellie said, confused.

"I should never have let you marry him. You should have married me, I should have asked you."

Ellie stared at him in shock. "What are you saying Gavin?"

"I'm saying that I'm in love with you Ellie, I always have been I just never had the guts to say it and I wish now that I had. If I had you wouldn't be in this situation." He wiped her tears away, just as Lucas had done that first night in the med bay.

Ellie looked away, and Gavin pulled her face back to look at him, kissing her. The memory went no further, but it didn't need to, they were all distinctly aware of what had happened. It shifted to Ellie returning home, Lawrence waiting for her in the living room. He stood, walking up to her.

"I'm not even going to ask where you've been. I'm sorry I blew up at you, but you have to understand my position Ellie."

"I'm sorry Lawrence, but I don't," Ellie replied, shaking her head and walking up the stairs. Lawrence looked on after her.

Instantly, it was the next day. Ellie was coming down the stairs to answer the insistent ringing of the doorbell. She pulled the door open to discover Sean, very upset.

"Sean! What's wrong?"

"Ellie, its Gavin…"

Her face went blank. "Gavin….Sean, what happened?"

"He was in a car accident and…"

"Oh god, Sean, is he all right?"

"Ellie…he's dead."

Ellie grabbed the door frame to steady herself. "Sean, please tell me you're joking…you have to...tell me…NOW SEAN!"

"Ellie, I can't tell you that if it isn't true…"

Ellie screamed and collapsed against Sean. "No, Sean, he can't be….oh god!"

Lucas looked to Gavin, whose face was impassive. He'd already been a part of this, it couldn't hurt him anymore. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw both Sam and Kristen were in tears.

Ellie's memory shifted to Gavin's funeral. She stood, as pale and unmoving as a porcelain doll while the service was read. Sean stood by her side, Lawrence was nowhere to be seen. It shifted again quickly to Ellie in a bathroom, staring at a positive pregnancy test.

"Oh my god," she whispered.

"Ellie? What does it say?" Lawrence called through the door.

"Pos…positive," Ellie stammered, opening the door. Lucas expected to see Lawrence look happy, but he didn't. He looked smug, as if this was somehow proof that he was a great man.

"I'll find you a doctor," he said as he walked away, leaving Ellie in stunned silence as her memory once again moved on.

It was night now, and she was standing along a dark stretch of highway, looking out onto the ocean far below her. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stepped up to the railing of a bridge that carried the highway across a canyon. She put her hands on the railing and looked down, closing her eyes quickly. Summoning her courage, she placed one foot upon the railing and climbed up. She stood there, the wind whipping her hair, trying to will herself to step off the edge.

Lucas grabbed the edge of the table, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "No," he whispered. "No, no, no, no…"

"ELLIE DON'T!!" Sean screamed.

She turned her head. "I have to do it Sean…"

"But what about the baby Ellie? Please, come down."

"That's why I have to do it…the baby…"

"I don't understand Ellie."

"It's not Lawrence's baby Sean…"

"Then who's…"

"Gavin…"

"Jesus Christ. Ellie…when?"

"The same night Sean…the night he died."

"Then come away from there for him Ellie. Don't do this. This is a gift, a piece of Gavin with you forever."

Ellie turned her head to look at him again, and then looked back to the vast open space before her. "Sean," she whispered. "Help me get down…"

Sean rushed to the bridge and took her hand. "Step backwards Elle, I've got you."

A different time now, though not long after the episode they'd just witnessed. Lawrence was walking out of the door to a waiting cab.

"I'll be reachable at any time Ellie. The doctor will take good care of you. Call me if you need anything."

"You're not going to be here for any of it," she said flatly.

"Women do this all the time. You'll be fine and I'll call to check in on you. I love you," he said, sliding into the cab and shutting the door, not even waiting to hear if she responded.

Ellie watched as he pulled away, her face betraying none of the emotions she might be feeling. She stood there for a while, not moving, until a car pulled into the driveway. It was Sean again.

"Elle, what're you doing out here?"

"Lawrence has gone; he won't be back for the birth. He's working on some project."

"You're kidding right? He seriously left you to do this on your own?"

Ellie nodded.

"Well, not anymore. I'll be here for you; I'll stand in for Lawrence."

Ellie looked at him. "You will?"

"Yep. Actually, no. I'll stand in for Gavin, the real father."

Ellie smiled gratefully as Sean put his arm around her shoulders. "Any idea what to name this kid?"

"I was thinking Lucas, if it was a boy."

"And if it is a girl?"

"I don't know, I haven't thought of any because I just feel like it is a boy already."

Sean laughed and Ellie's memory rolled on to a nightclub. She was onstage with Sean, the rest of a band, and two other girls. She was singing and the crowd was going crazy. She was dressed just as Lucas would have expected her to be; black leather pants, the black boots she'd been wearing when she first arrived on the SeaQuest, and a black, sequined midriff shirt. On her wrist was a bracelet made up of 6 rows of black beads.

"She was so good," Gavin said, finally speaking again. "They loved her," he explained as she belted out an alternative rock song.

As the song finished, the crowd cheered. Ellie looked to Sean and he stepped up to her, whispering in her ear. "Sing it for him Elle Belle, he'll hear you now."

Ellie nodded, and Sean began to play the opening notes of the song. Lucas recognized instantly that the song was about Lawrence. The chorus came, and as soon as he heard the words, "I don't want to grow up/I want out of this/take me away," he realized that it was also a plea to Gavin.

"If I would have heard it, I would have done it, I would have done what she asked," Gavin whispered, so low that only Lucas heard him.

The crowd cheered again as the song finished, and Ellie's memory moved on once again. Now came the moment that Lucas had dreaded all along: his own birth.

Sean was there, holding her hand, giving her encouragement, but the memory was so disjointed and fragmented. The sound of a baby crying reverberated through the room as they saw a baby, Lucas, put on Ellie's chest. She was crying, but her tears were happy ones.

"Look at him Sean! He's beautiful!"

"Wow…its a little Gavin. What's up little dude?" Sean said as the baby grabbed his finger.

"What do you want to name him," a nurse asked Ellie.

"Lucas," she replied. "Lucas Daniel…"

Her memory began to flicker and Gavin stood, walking to where Ellie lay sleeping, and touching her hand. The picture cleared again.

"Everything you see now are _my_ memories," Gavin said.

Ellie was sleeping; baby Lucas in a bassinet next to her bed, Sean sleeping in a chair on the other side. The doctor, the one Lawrence had picked out for her, entered the room quietly. He pulled a vial and syringe out of his coat, the label was clear: Morphine.

Filling the syringe to its full capacity, he stepped up to the bed, taking hold of the tubing to Ellie's IV, and pumping the full syringe of morphine in.

"Oh my god," Kristen said. "Oh no…"

The doctor stood there by the bed for a moment, watching Ellie as her breathing slowed and then stopped. He took her wrist to feel for a pulse, and finding none, took his stethoscope to listen for a heart beat. Satisfied that his job was done when he heard nothing, he silently left the room.

Lucas was shaking with rage. "He…he…he killed her. I thought that maybe she died in childbirth, but he killed her. Lawrence killed her, because he knew…oh god…"

Gavin's memory moved to Ellie's funeral. Cynthia was there, Lucas in her arms. Lawrence was standing up, speaking about what a wonderful wife Ellie had been, how much he had loved her and would miss her, but how, before her death she had given him the greatest gift she could; a son.

Lucas stood and walked toward the screen, still trembling with rage and pain. He trailed his fingers along the table, and then suddenly reaching across, he grabbed a glass from the table. Screaming in his rage, he hurled the glass at the screen, sending pieces of glass flying across the room as it shattered.

"Lucas!" Bridger yelled.

But Lucas heard nothing. Still screaming, he grabbed another glass and threw it as hard as he could at the figure of Lawrence on the screen.

"Kristen, help him!" Bridger yelled to her.

Kristen grabbed a strong sedative out of her bag as Bridger grabbed hold of Lucas. Lucas was still screaming but it was coming out in a stream of obscenities directed at Lawrence. He had grabbed another glass and as Bridger grabbed him, Lucas squeezed it so hard it shattered in his hand, cutting him deeply, but he didn't feel it. Kristen injected the sedative into Lucas and as he sank down he looked to the gurney where Ellie had been, but she was no longer there.

She was gone.


	13. Part 3, Chapter 13: Finding Strength

His head was throbbing as he began to surface from the drug-induced sleep he'd been in. He moaned from the pain of it, wishing he could crawl back under that dark blanket and get away. He could feel that they'd restrained him; he didn't blame them, and as he remembered why he was so drugged up and restrained he thought it would be a good idea if he stayed this way for a little while.

The anger that was bubbling back to the surface brought the adrenaline that would speed his recovery from the drug fog. He was vaguely aware that his hand hurt but he didn't care. Eyes still closed, he remembered it all: Ellie, her murder, Lawrence's grand show of hypocrisy at her funeral, the sight of the empty gurney as the drugs had taken hold of him. Hot tears slid from underneath his closed eyelids. She was gone, really gone, and he would never see her again. Never again would he feel the comfort that had swept over him whenever she'd touched him, talked to him, smiled at him. The reality of all that he had lost washed over him along with intense hatred for the person who had taken it from him.

"Lucas," the familiar voice of Dr. Westphalen called out. "Lucas, wake up."

He opened his eyes to see Kristen standing over him, but said nothing to her.

"It's almost time for us to leave now. I want to take the restraints off but I need your word that you'll stay calm."

Lucas couldn't find the strength to answer her. He didn't want to speak. He nodded once, weakly, before silently turning his face away from her and closing his eyes once again.

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Captain Bridger and Sam busied themselves with preparing the launch for the return to the SeaQuest. No one had talked much since the night of Ellie's departure almost 2 days ago. No words could adequately describe all that they had been witness to, and no one even wanted to discuss Lucas' complete meltdown.

He'd been in Chatton's infirmary, under guard and under restraint. Kristen had tried to let him wake up twice, but each time he'd become combative before he'd even really woken up and she'd had no choice but to put him back under. The cuts to his hand had been tended to, one on his palm requiring stitches.

They had to get back, and Kristen had decided to try and wake him one more time. If he was still combative, she'd put him under again and they'd take him back to the ship that way.

Sam was worried about him; she'd never seen him completely lose it that way and didn't know if he'd ever actually done it before now. She wondered if he would be okay and be able to get back to the Lucas she knew so well.

"Captain Bridger!" Dr. Fletcher called out.

"Hello Laura, come to see us off?"

"Yes, in a way," she said. "I wanted to give you this," she said, handing him a mini disk. "We recorded it, all of the memories that came out. I thought that once Lucas healed, he might want to have it."

Bridger stared down at the small disk in his hand. So much pain condensed into something so small. "Thank you Laura, I'll be sure that he gets it."

She nodded. "Have a safe return trip and don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything," she said, walking away.

Sam looked at him and then at the disk. "Throw it in the water. Destroy it."

"Sam…"

"Why would you give it to him? Why would he want it? So that he can re-live it all over again, so he can watch her die every day if he wants to?"

"No, because even though there are horrible things here, there are happy moments too, and it's those that I think he'll want," he explained, but Sam was no longer listening. She was watching Lucas, walking toward them, helped by Kristen.

He walked slowly, his face pale, his right hand bandaged. As they reached the launch, Sam noticed that there was no expression on his face, no life in his eyes. It was as if he wasn't there and didn't want to be.

"Lucas," Bridger said. "It's good to see you up."

Lucas turned dim, blank eyes to Bridger as if to register that he had heard him, but then he looked away again, staring straight in front of him and saying nothing. Sam didn't speak; she knew it would do no good.

Bridger sighed, slipping the small disk into his pocket. Kristen shot him a look of concern, telling him that Lucas had been like this ever since waking up. If he wasn't going to be combative, he'd just be a zombie.

Kristen moved him forward toward a seat on the launch, but Lucas stopped cold. Staring at the seats that he and Ellie had occupied just days before, he opened his mouth as if he would say something, but closed it and looked away quickly. He shook himself free of Kristen's hand and, using the wall for balance, moved into the back of the launch where a gurney sat in case they had to transport any injured crew. He climbed onto it, his back to them, and lay down, pulling his knees to his chest. He covered his head with his arms, and then was still.

All three looked at him sadly, not sure what they could do but all individually deciding that leaving him be was the best course of action. Sam sat down and buckled herself in, not sure if she wanted to cry or pull him off the gurney and rage at him. The other two took their seats, and they were on their way.

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Ben, Tim and Miguel gathered at the top of the launch bay. They had no idea what had happened, only that the return had been delayed. They'd heard the call in that the launch was ready to dock, and had gone to meet the group. They all had a feeling that something had gone very wrong, but none of them could put a finger on it, and none of them wanted to speculate.

As the launch docked, the tension was palpable. Sam was the first up and Tim looked to her for some sort of signal as to what was going on. She looked at them all, and shook her head, indicating that Ellie had not returned with them. All three frowned, and looked to Lucas as he came up the ladder, slowly.

"Luc..." Ben started, stopping when he caught sight of his friend.

Lucas looked at him with the same blank gaze he'd given the Captain earlier. He stepped onto the deck and surveyed his three friends quietly before turning away and walking silently toward his quarters.

"Whoa," Ben said. "What in the hell happened out there?"

"Meet me in the mess in 20 minutes," Sam said. She felt the need to explain this so that they would leave Lucas to his grief instead of trying to cheer him. "I'll explain everything."

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"Oh man," Ben said, sitting back when Sam had finished explaining all that had gone on. "I can't say I blame him for going berserk when he found out what had happened to her."

"But now he's completely shut down Ben," Sam said. "That isn't healthy either."

"What do you expect? His mom was murdered, most likely because Lawrence paid off that doctor to do it when he found out that Lucas was not his son," Miguel said.

"I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this," Sam said. "All I can say is just leave him alone."

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Lucas threw his bag into a corner and crawled onto his bunk. All he wanted to do was sleep. If he slept, none of this was real, it all went away. Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't his life just be normal?

He heard a tap on the glass and opened his eyes to see Darwin there. He stared at him for a moment, remembering the story Sam had recounted to him about how delighted Ellie had been with Darwin and the vocorder.

Ellie. A crushing pain enveloped his chest like someone was squeezing all the life out of him. He pushed his blanket against the glass, blocking Darwin out and causing the room to go completely dark.

He wasn't sure how many days went by as he just lay there, refusing to move. He didn't want to eat, didn't want to work, didn't want to think, and especially didn't want to talk. People knocked on his door, imploring him to come out and at least walk around or eat. He just ignored them. Maybe he would die. Maybe he would stay here until he starved to death. Then it would be gone forever, he thought, as he slipped back into the sleep of depression.

"Lucas," he heard someone whisper through his sleep.

Annoyed that someone had come into his quarters, he replied, "Go away."

"Come on Lucas, stop this."

"Go away," he repeated, starting to get angry.

"Lucas," the voice said again, this time giving him a gentle shake.

Infuriated, his eyes snapped open and he sat up quickly. "GO AWAY!" he screamed.

"Okay, I will if you want me to. But you keep saying that you want me to come back. You ought to make up your mind you know," Ellie said with a smirk, turning on the desk lamp.

Lucas' jaw nearly hit the floor. "Am I hallucinating?"

Ellie giggled. "No. I don't think so." She stood there, as beautiful as ever, dressed in the same clothes she'd arrived in, except that this time, she was wearing the black beaded bracelet that Lucas remembered from the nightclub.

"But you were gone, I saw the empty bed."

"Oh, I'm still gone," she replied. "I'm not here in the same physical sense that I was, but I can be just as solid as Gavin was when he came here. I saw you Lucas, I saw what happened. I'm so sorry that you were hurt."

Lucas' jaw trembled as he stared at her, emotion coming back to him for the first time since his return. He reached out to her, much as she had done that first night. Knowing what he wanted, she clasped his hand. Lucas breathed in sharply at her touch, as warm and solid as his own.

"I told you Lucas, didn't I? That no matter what happened I would always be with you?"

Tears slid silently down his cheeks, he didn't know what to say and even if he had he didn't think he could have spoken, so he just nodded his assent.

"Sweetheart, please don't be sad. I'm okay, really. I didn't suffer, I didn't even know."

"Will you…will you be gone for good now?"

"Not unless you want me to be."

"No!" Lucas cried quickly. "Don't go, don't leave."

Ellie smiled at him. "You have to live your life Lucas, but you won't ever be alone, not ever again. You can't shut everyone out like you're doing. Nothing will change even if you sleep the rest of your life away. The truth will always be the same, it will always be there."

He knew that what she said was true; he'd known it all along but had held out hope that perhaps it might be different for him.

Ellie laughed. "Silly boy, life's truths don't change for anyone." She turned her head toward the door. "Sam is coming, she has something for you. Promise me that you'll be civil."

"I promise."

"Good," she said, vanishing.

Seconds later, a knock sounded on his door. "Come in," he said.

Sam, standing outside of the door and not expecting any answer, gasped in shock. She took a deep breath as she opened the door and stepped inside. He looked terrible. He was pale and drawn, dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't been sleeping when in fact that was all he'd been doing.

"Hi Sam," he said.

"It's about damn time," Sam snapped.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "What's going on," he asked, his eyes falling upon the package she held in her hands.

"I have this for you. Ellie wanted me to give it to you. She gave it all to me before we left for the session," she explained, holding it out to him. Lucas reached out and took it from her slowly.

"I'll leave you to it," she said, turning to leave.

"No," he whispered. "Stay Sam, please?"

She nodded and sat in the chair at his desk as he opened the envelope. Turning it over, a letter and a mini disk fell into his lap. He picked up the letter and unfolded it. He began to read.

_Dearest Lucas,_

_I know that things are going to get very hard for you in these coming days, and I want you to know that if I could possibly change any of it, I would. I don't know what is going to happen and I am just as afraid as I'm sure you are. I understand that your flashes of anger and frustration aren't personal, and I want you to know that I don't take them that way. You aren't sure how to deal with all of this and you just naturally react with your defense mechanism._

_I want you to know, in case I don't get to tell you, how much I really love you. You are everything I could have possibly hoped for you to be and more. I wish that I could have been there to hear your first words and witness your first steps, to see you graduate (both times!), wish I could have been there the first time you tested the vocorder and it worked. I wanted to share all of it, but because of circumstances beyond the control of both of us, it won't happen. But I promised you that I would always be there now, no matter what, and I mean to keep that promise Lucas. I will be there to see everything in your life (well, almost everything), and even if you can't see me, I hope that you'll remember that I'm there._

_In this package there is a disk. The night before we left for Chatton, Sam helped me record the lullaby I wrote for you. I never got to sing it to you, and so I thought you should have it now. _

_I love you Lucas. Chin up, and to quote a movie that I really liked, remember, "It can't rain all the time."_

_Love,_

_Ellie James-Wolenczak_

_P.S. - Tell Ben for me to stop being such a sore loser._

Lucas looked up at Sam over the top of the letter, tears standing in his eyes. "You helped her make this," he said, holding the disk up.

Sam nodded, not speaking lest her voice betray her feelings after watching Lucas read the letter from this mother.

"Thank you," he said, standing up. "Thank you for helping her and for giving this to me."

"You're welcome Lucas. I felt that it was the least I could do."

He shocked her when he put his arms around her and hugged her. "I'm hungry."

Sam started to laugh. "Ah, Lucas, there you are. I was starting to wonder when you'd show up."


	14. Chapter 14

_Big thanks to KP for the Sam/Lucas fight scene! Thank you all for the positive reviews!_

The weight room was vacant, save for one individual, who was beating up a punching bag as if it were an old flat pillow with years of neglect.

"Keep it up, and the rest of the crew won't have anything to hit when they get angry." Sam watched Lucas pound his fist against the canvas. "You don't have to own up to Lawrence, ya know," she tossed him a towel from across the room.

Lucas caught it and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Yes I do, Sam. It's a matter of honor and dignity."

"Who's dignity, yours, or your mother's?" she said calmly.

Lucas spun on her. "Both! He murdered her! Everything I knew is now fiction!" he slammed the towel to the ground.

"Not fiction, wonder boy. Fact. It's your life." She untied the button up shirt from her waist and faced Lucas in tank top and jeans. Her left foot slid back and her hands came up.

Lucas saw this invitation and took it, raising his own hands. "You have no idea, Sam."

"Then tell me." She came at him, grabbing him around the waist. Both grappled to the ground in a wrestling match.

"Lawrence will pay for this!" He rolled up, taking her with him so his back was to her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, tripping him back to the ground. "He will pay. It's Karma."

"Only you would say that," he growled as he grabbed her arms and spun her around, putting her in a headlock.

"Yes, I would. Think about it, Lucas." Her hands gripped his arms, but she wasn't able to break the lock. "You work best in strategy. Use what god gave you, you idiot."

Lucas let her go. She backed away, reaching for her own towel. The fight over, she caught her breath. Lucas looked at her a moment. "Thanks."

"Hey, next time I'm kickin' your ass, Wolenczak," she smirked. Sam picked up her button up shirt and retied it around her waist, and left Lucas to think it over.

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Captain Bridger sat in his quarters, quietly reading a book. Things had been quiet, the computer system translation problems finally fixed thanks to Lucas coming back to work. Everything was running as smoothly as it had ever done.

Still, he wondered what kind of impact Ellie's brief appearance would have in the long term. He had seen a different side of Lucas since she'd come. He was more at ease, more comfortable with himself and with others. It was as if the simple thing of knowing where he came from, who he belonged to, that he had been and was loved; had put him in a state of mind where he didn't feel so isolated or freakish.

"I think knowing has helped him a great deal," he heard a familiar voice say.

Looking up from his book, he saw Ellie seated at the table across from him. Somehow, he wasn't surprised. "Well, Ellie, it's nice to see you again."

"The pleasure's mine Captain. Thank you for your help while I was here, I never got to tell you or Dr. Westphalen how much I appreciated it."

"I'll pass on your thanks to her."

"He's not alone now, he knows it. The whole experience has made him stronger."

"I have to say that I agree with that assessment."

Ellie smiled. "Captain, thank you for taking care of my son. It means so much to him, even though he may not express it very well."

"He's a good kid, he works and tries hard. He reminds me of…"

"Robert," Ellie said, finishing his sentence for him.

"Yes, how did you know about him?"

"Captain, I couldn't very well expect that you would take care of my son without my doing the same for you in return," she said softly.

"Wait, you mean…"

"Yes, I've seen him. We're watching over him, Gavin and me, until you meet with him again. Just like you're watching over Lucas for us. Just as my Lucas is in good hands, so is your Robert."

For once, his words failed him. He reached out and touched Ellie's hand. "Thank you," he said his voice full of emotion.

"You're very welcome."

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Lucas sat in front of his computer, attempting to work on some new code, but at the moment, it was eluding him.

"What are you doing?"

Lucas nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of someone else's voice. He'd thought he was alone. He turned to see who was talking to him in order to figure out how to best answer the question, when he saw Ellie standing there.

"Mom, hey," he said, smiling at her before turning back to his work.

"I love it when you call me that," Ellie said with a grin.

Lucas chuckled. "I know you do. I like saying it."

Ellie walked over to the terminal, putting her elbows on the table and setting her chin on her hands. She watched him typing, and, just when he needed it, she pulled the pencil out from behind his ear and handed it to him.

"Thanks," he said, scribbling out a calculation.

"No problem. I saw your fight with Sam. Pretty good if I may say so."

Lucas stopped and looked at her. "Good? How?"

"Entertaining for one, not to mention that you guys are both pretty good fighters."

"Yeah, they make you take classes before boarding any military vessel. It's mandatory."

"I see," she said, looking at his calculation. "No, honey, this is wrong. Here, let me see," she said, taking the pencil from his hand and correcting his mistake. "There, that should work now."

Lucas looked at her in amazement as she handed the pencil back to him. "How did you know that?"

"Hey, no one ever said you were the only one with a high IQ kiddo."

Lucas laughed and shook his head, entering the calculation results into his coding.

"It's good to see you back to your old self," she said. "I was worried about you for a while there."

He nodded, still looking at the screen. "Yeah, it was pretty rough there at first. I wouldn't say I'm back to normal, but close. I just wanted to disappear, but it wasn't happening. Now that I know that even though you're gone I haven't lost you, I think I can be okay."

"But you're still angry."

"Angry is an understatement."

"Then do something about it."

"I will. Trust me."

"Oh, I know you're formulating a long term strategy, but I mean do something now. I'll help you."

Lucas looked at her questioningly. "Like what…"

Ellie smiled like a Cheshire cat, and Lucas knew he was about to hear something good.

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Lawrence Wolenczak sat in his study, surrounded by charts, grids and other various forms of paperwork. He was poring over a map, trying to decipher some of the coding when his vidcom unit began buzzing.

Looking up, he rolled his chair over to it. This had better be good. He pressed the button to answer. "Lawrence Wolenczak."

"Hello Dad," Lucas said.

Lawrence was shocked to see his son on the other end. "Lucas, this is a surprise. How are you?"

"Fine," he replied. "I've had a rough few weeks, but things are looking up. Anyway, I don't have time for idle chit chat. I have a specific purpose for calling."

"What is it son?"

On the other end, Lucas cringed internally at being called 'son' by a man that he now hated with every ounce of his being. "I wanted to ask you something about me, about when I was born."

Lawrence's face betrayed no signs of concern. "Sure. Ask away."

"Tell me about Ellie, Dad."

Lawrence's face didn't change, though he didn't speak right away. When he finally did, he was subdued. "I don't know who you're talking about."

Out of the screen's view, Lucas' hand clenched into a fist, but he remained calm. "Sure you do. Tell me."

"Lucas, what is going on with you? I honestly have no idea who you're talking about."

"Awww…Lawrence, is it really so easy for you to forget about me?" Ellie asked, walking into the picture and putting her hand on Lucas' shoulder.

Lawrence jumped and went pale. It gave Lucas instant gratification. "Ellie…"

"That's right dear, surprised?"

"How…"

"How isn't the issue, is it Lawrence? I'm dead, you made sure of that."

"I don't know what you mean; there was a mix-up at the hospital…"

"Sure there was Lawrence, just like there as a mix-up at the garage where Gavin had gotten his brakes done right?"

"I don't know what the hell is going on here but…"

Lucas cut him off. "Let me tell you what's going on here _Dad_," he said, stressing the last word like it was a dagger he could stab into Lawrence's heart. "I know what you did. I know about Ellie, I know about Gavin, I know who they are. I know that you and Cynthia aren't my parents. We have DNA tests here that prove that. I know how you tried to erase any traces of them from your life and mine, even if it meant ripping it out of me, but it didn't work and that's why I'm here. I know everything."

"Lucas, I can explain…"

"No you can't. There is nothing you can say that will change what you've done or erase the crimes you've committed. You can't excuse it because there is _nothing _that can justify it. I hope you rot in hell for all you've taken from me."

"Lucas, your mother, Ellie, was an adulteress, she strayed from our marriage…"

"And who drove her to it? You did. But you're too concerned about your own image to see when you've done anything wrong. We're done talking. I want you to know that I'm fine, and that I do thank you for one thing: sending me here. It's been the best thing you could ever have done for me. It put me in a place where I could see that not everyone is as cold-hearted as you always have been. I'm sorry that you've always seen me as a disappointment to you when all I ever did was my best to please you. But because of who my parents were, nothing I ever did could have been good enough for you; you couldn't take it out on them anymore and so I was the only one left. Let's just agree on this: Don't call me, don't write to me, don't ever try and contact me again. I don't want to have anything to do with you. That goes for Cynthia as well. Hope all goes well for you both." Lucas said, disconnecting the call.

Lawrence Wolenczak could only stare in disbelief at the vidcom unit.

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"Don't you feel better now?" Ellie asked.

Lucas exhaled. "You know what? I do…"

"I figured. But you have a ways to go before you can start on your plan."

Lucas nodded. "There is a lot to find out, a lot of research to do, and I'll have to ask the Captain for leave."

"I have a feeling you'll get it," Ellie replied.

Lucas looked up, and covered her hand, which was still on his shoulder, with his own. "I think so too. He just won't know that the leave I ask for will serve a dual purpose."

"I'll help you however I can Lucas."

"I know you will. To pull this off, I'm gonna need it."

tbc


End file.
